Ruth McHaney Danner, biographer

Do you know people whose life stories grip you and won’t let you go? Such persons may not be famous, but they’ve made a difference in their homes, communities or business sectors. Their stories need to be collected and preserved, so that  families—as well as others— will be inspired by their struggles and benefit from their knowledge.

I write biographies for families and individuals who want to collect and preserve their stories and pass them along to the generations following. Each of my full-length biographies requires about a year of my time and countless hours of interviews. Two of my recent subjects included the owner of a popular Spokane restaurant and a single mother who raised six children on an Oregon farm.

Here’s the cover of my newest biography—the story of Eddie Eng. His Cathay Inn on North Division Street in Spokane, Washington, has been a landmark for over 60 years. The book, featuring copies of precious family photos, narrates the story of Mr. Eng’s life, from his earliest memories to his 60^th anniversary celebration in 2010.