Ruth Garvey Fink
Ruth Garvey Fink was born April 26, 1917, in Colby, Kansas. She is the oldest of four children and spent her childhood in Colby before moving with her family to Wichita when she was 12. Garvey attended Wichita State University, but graduated with a degree in business from the University of Illinois in 1938. Garvey attended the University of Kansas for her post-graduate degree and graduated in 1941, she also married Richard Cochener the same year. Cochener died in 1954, the same year Garvey began to run her father’s company, C-G-F Grain Co. Inc. She became president soon after. In 1955 she married H. Bernard Fink. She was president of C-G-F Grain Co. Inc. until the company was sold to Cargill in 1983.
Fink was best known for her charity, volunteering, and donations throughout Topeka and the state of Kansas. Fink donated to Washburn University, the Salvation Army, and Stormont-Vail HealthCare, among others. She was named the Native Sons and Daughters' Distinguished Kansan in 2003. Fink was inducted into the Topeka Business Hall of Fame in 2003, and received many other honors and accolades during her life. Fink died September 18, 2007, in Topeka, Kansas.
Entry: Fink, Ruth Garvey
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: June 2012
Date Modified: August 2013
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
