Jul. 07, 1950 - Friend Of The Shah Of Persia Dies In Her San Francisco Flat - Overdose of Drugs: Twenty three year old Miss Ruth Joyce Stevens, an artist, who went dancing and partying with the Shah of Persia during his visit to San Francisco last year, died after an overdose of sleeping pills last night, in her flat in San Fransisco. Her mother found her unconscious. Beside her was an empty sleeping pill bottle.
She had just been discharged from hospital, where she had been under treatment since April for a nervous breakdown. Photo Shows: Miss Ruth Joyce Stevens - found dead in her San Francisco flat.
Sausalito News 22 December 1949 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
SHAH OF IRAN DROPS IN FOR DINNER HERE
Sausalito's claim to fame, which may or may not figure in a royal romance of international flavor, took place last Saturday night at the Alta Mira Hotel. We were in the middle of our dinner, when into the dining room walked His Majesty Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, and blonde Ruth Joyce Stevens, who sat down at a table in front of us, at a window j overlooking Richardson Bay and ' Belvedere.
The Shah of Iran wore a pinstriped double breasted suit, dark blue shirt and a dark tie, while his “date” wore navy blue decollete dinner gown, ART STUDENT The Shah, we understand, has stayed over an extra day, and his final evening in the Bay area was in the company of the beauteous 23 year old artist, a student at the California School- of Fine Arts, with whom His Highness had “dated” on three different occasions during his “unofficial” stay in San Francisco.
During the course of the dinner at the Alta Mira, Chef Maurice Guridi, who customarily greets all of his dinner guest in person, came over to the Shah’s table.
The Shah and Maurice conversed in French. Just what was said, Chef Maurice would not say.
NO INTERVIEWS However, interviews and pictures were declared “out” by the two U.S. Secret Service men who sat at a table nearby. Following dinner, the entire party left, the Shah and Miss Stevens in the Shah’s borrowed blue Buick convertible, with the two secret service men each deployed in a car in front and a car in the rear of the ruler of some 10 million Iranians, as they drove back to San Francisco.
Miss Stevens has been the Shah’s companion at a dinner party at Trader Vic’s the week before, and also at her apartment at 1257 Lombard street in San Francisco, where she first met the Shah when her mother, Mrs. McMurray Stevens, who had previously met the Iranian ruler upon his arrival in San Francisco. Mrs. Stevens is a well known Southern California Republican leader.
SECOND MARIN TRIP The Shah, who left early Sunday morning by plane for the east, turned up in San Francisco on December 10 as a side trip on his official state visit to this country as the guest of President Harry Truman. Upon the Shah's return to New York he will be the guest of General and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhowser, president of Columbia University, before making his final hop to Teheran before Christmas. His Majesty “did” the Bay area high spots, including the Top of the Mark, Treasure Island, Muir Woods, and North Beach.
Divorced from the Princess Fawzia of Egypt, his royal palace is located in the ancient Persian capital city of Teheran.i His means of transportation at home include a fleet of 27 automobiles and a Flying Fortress.
