Dr. Valentine Ruch was a prominent physician, civic leader, and political figure in early twentieth-century Englewood. A graduate of Cornell University Medical School in 1903, Ruch devoted his professional life to public service. He began his medical career as Englewood Hospital’s first intern and later played a formative role in county health care, becoming the first president of the Board of Managers of Bergen Pines Hospital when the institution opened. Known for his tireless schedule, he often traveled miles between patients in all conditions and served not only as a physician but as a trusted confidant and humanitarian within the community.

Ruch’s commitment to service extended beyond medicine into military and civic life. During World War I, he trained physicians for the American Expeditionary Force and eventually commanded the 29th Division Medical Detachment. In state service, he was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General while Woodrow Wilson was governor of New Jersey. A Democrat in a largely Republican city, Ruch ran for mayor of Englewood three times, narrowly losing his final campaign by fewer than one hundred votes, a reflection of his broad personal popularity. He was also active in numerous fraternal and civic organizations and believed strongly that physicians had a responsibility to participate in public affairs. Ruch married Helen Curtain in 1905, and they had a son, Valentine Ruch Jr.

One of Dr. Ruch’s most enduring civic contributions was his central role in bringing Englewood’s World War I memorial into existence. As an ex-service man himself, he became the leading advocate for placing the monument at the corner of Palisade Avenue and Tenafly Road, arguing that its historic prominence made it the most appropriate site. When earlier memorial efforts had stalled due to public indifference, Ruch revived the campaign almost single-handedly. He studied war memorials in other cities, prepared detailed plans demonstrating the feasibility of the site, and personally lobbied civic, fraternal, and veterans’ organizations throughout Englewood. Acting from what contemporaries described as purely civic motives, he succeeded in persuading the Common Council to approve the location and was widely credited as the driving force behind the memorial’s realization.

The Englewood war memorial itself was conceived as a solemn and imposing tribute to the city’s men who lost their lives in World War I. Designed by Kenneth W. Dalzell, the monument took the form of a granite shaft rising approximately thirty-five feet, crowned by a bronze eagle with outstretched wings mounted on a sphere. At its base stood a sculpted “Doughboy” figure, conceived by Harry Lewis Raul, symbolizing the American infantryman. One face of the shaft bore the names of Englewood residents who died in the war, while the opposite side carried an inscription expressing the city’s gratitude for their sacrifice. Its unveiling, marked by a major parade and civic ceremony, established the monument as a central site of remembrance and public memory.

Dr. Ruch’s life ended in the manner many felt best reflected his character. Despite suffering repeated heart attacks and knowing his health was failing, he continued his public work until the end. He collapsed and died while delivering a lecture on Bergen County’s role in the Revolutionary War at the Alpine Methodist Church. Remembered as a doctor, friend, and citizen, Valentine Ruch left behind a legacy of service that shaped Englewood’s civic, medical, and commemorative landscape for generations.