LYONS, Ruth

Composer, author, pianist and organist Ruth Lyons is a Cincinnati institution, known for her work as one of the nation's premier broadcasters in the 1940s, '50s and '60s, and for her charity, the Ruth Lyons Children's Fund. Ruth was educated at the University of Cincinnati, where she wrote musical productions, and the Conservatory of Music. In 1929, she began her career in radio at Cincinnati's WKRC as a pianist, organist and music librarian, eventually becoming the station's music director. Joining ASCAP in 1957, her popular-song compositions include "Wasn't the Summer Short?", "The Ten Tunes of Christmas", "Let's Light the Christmas Tree", "This Is Christmas", and "Christmas Is a Birthday Time".