The Ruth Wattis Mitchell Earth Sciences Building was named after Ruth Wattis Mitchell, dedicated on November 19 of the year 1970. Ruth Wattis Mitchell was a sculptress and also a generous donor to the university.
Her Father, Edmund Orson Wattis and his brothers founded the Utah Construction Company and built the feather route between Oakland and Salt Lake City. Later on, the Wattis brothers spearheaded the formation of Six Companies to build Hoover Dam. In honor of her father and mother, Martha Ann Bybee, Ruthis donated $1,026,000 to Stanford, also in support of her passion for Earth Sciences. Ruth Wattis Mitchell once said, “Life has been good to me, and Stanford has been good to my family.” Her husband and 4 nephews and nieces attended the university. Ruth died just days after the groundbreaking ceremony of the building that holds her name. ~source