Ruth Elizabeth Duggan was born June 30, 1921 to Orton Lorraine Duggan Sr. and Frances Clemens Duggan. Her father was a Boys Scouts executive, and though the family’s roots were firmly in Sevier County, they frequently moved around the United States. She was one of the first women in Sevier County to sign up for the WAVES (Women’s Naval Reserve) on April 10, 1943 and among the first to ask for overseas duty. She became a lieutenant before her discharge on July 18, 1946. After the war, she married Charles Bagnall Hoglan Jr. (1923-1993). She died March 10, 2020 and is buried in the Duggan Family Memorial Cemetery in the Jones Cove area of Sevier County.
Her brothers Orton Lorraine Duggan Jr. (1917-2004), David Wilson Duggan (1919-1978), and Robert Beamon Duggan (1926-2006) also served during World War II.
Maples History Center has many artifacts and documents from the Duggan family, including various correspondence between Ruth and friends during the war. The finding aid for the Duggan collection may be found here: https://scplshistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Orton-Duggan-Collection.pdf
