Education
Records provided by the Chicago Board of Education revealed that Jack Ruby attended Smyth Grammar School from October 24, 1916, through the 1920-21 term, completing kindergarten to grade 4B.[A16-84] He repeated the third grade.[A16-85] During the 1921-22 school year Jack finished the fourth grade at the Clarke School; he attended Schley School for the 1924-25 term, when he completed the sixth grade. Ruby’s relationship with the Institute for Juvenile Research and the Jewish Home Finding Society may explain the lack of academic records for the 1922-23 and 1923-24 school years. While there is some uncertainty about Ruby’s education subsequent to September 1925,[A16-86] it seems likely that he completed the eighth grade in 1927, when he was 16. Although Jack Ruby and others have stated that he attended at least 1 year of high school,[A16-87] the Chicago Board of Education could not locate any record of Ruby’s attending Chicago high schools.[A16-88] Considering the absence of academic records and Jack’s apathetic attitude toward school,[A16-89] the Commission deems it unlikely that his education extended into high school.
Records of the Institute for Juvenile Research revealed that, as of June 1922, Ruby had no religious education outside the public school system.[A16-90] However, according to their children, Jack’s parents made some effort to inculcate in them a desire to adhere to the tenets of Orthodox Judaism. Jewish dietary and festival laws were observed and several of the children accompanied Joseph Rubenstein to the synagogue.[A16-91] Earl Ruby stated that all the boys received some Hebrew school training until the breakup of the Rubenstein home in 1921.[A16-92] However, Hyman Rubenstein testified that the instability and economic necessities of the household and the children’s relationships outside the home frustrated the religious efforts of Ruby’s parents.[A16-93]
Activities
Born in a home that disintegrated when he was 10 and boasting no substantial educational background, Jack Ruby early found himself on Chicago streets attempting to provide for himself and other members of his family. An avid sports fan, he, together with many of his friends, “scalped” tickets to various sporting events.[A16-94] He also sold numerous novelty items and knickknacks, particularly those connected with professional and collegiate athletics. Even in his youth, Ruby declined to work on a steady basis for someone else.[A16-95]
According to his brother Hyman, Jack Ruby’s only legal difficulty as a youth resulted from an altercation with a policeman about ticket scalping. Hyman, then active in local politics, was able to have charges arising out of the incident dropped.[A16-96] Ruby has indicated that during the depression he served a short jail sentence for the unauthorized sale of copyrighted sheet music.[A16-97]
The only other member of the Rubenstein family who appears to have had any difficulty with the law while a youth was Hyman. On May 1, 1916, Chicago’s juvenile court declared Hyman incorrigible, a term covering a wide range of misbehavior. Because of the absence of informative court records and the lapse of time, the misconduct that occasioned this proceeding could not be ascertained, but Hyman is not known to have encountered subsequent difficulty.[A16-98] Some of Ruby’s childhood friends eventually became criminals;[A16-99] however, Hyman Rubenstein, his sister Mrs. Eva Grant, and virtually all of Ruby’s friends and acquaintances who were questioned reported that he was not involved with Chicago’s criminal element.[A16-100]
The evidence indicates that young Jack was not interested in political affairs.[A16-101] Hyman was the only Rubenstein to participate actively in politics. Sponsored by various political officials, he became a sidewalk inspector and warehouse investigator for 8 years. On one occasion, he obtained a permit for Jack to sell novelties from a pushcart located in a business district during the pre-Christmas buying rush. Eventually the complaints of enraged businessmen led licensing authorities to declare that a mistake had been made and to revoke Ruby’s permit.[A16-102]
Temperament
The evidence reveals striking differences of opinion among childhood friends and acquaintances of Jack Ruby about whether he possessed violent tendencies. Many persons stated that he was mild mannered, quiet, and even tempered.[A16-103] Former welterweight champion Barney Ross, whom Jack Ruby idolized from the inception of his boxing career,[A16-104] stated that Ruby was “well behaved,” was never a troublemaker, and was never involved with law-enforcement agencies.[A16-105] Another friend, who became a successful businessman on the west coast, said that, as a youth, Ruby never started fights even though he was adept with his fists.[A16-106] Other friends declared that he would, if at all possible, avoid clashes.[A16-107]