Daughter of the Noble Orphan

Ruby Pruett vividly recounts the compelling story of her life, focusing on her youth while also highlighting later events. She captures readers’ attention and sympathy with her poignant narrative.

A native Tennessean, she grew up during the Great Depression, enduring poverty and abuse from her alcoholic father and others in her large extended family. It was largely through her godly mother’s love, teaching, and example in both word and deed that Ruby found the strength to rise above her circumstances.

By the age of five, Ruby had become a constant and diligent worker, excelling both at home and in the field. She embraced her mother’s advice to trust God, work hard, pursue an education, never accept charity, and ＂be somebody＂ (her mother’s exact words). These values helped her achieve self-sufficiency by age thirteen.

Throughout her life, Ruby earned numerous honors: class valedictorian, ＂Girl with the Sweetest Face in Tennessee,＂ Miss Obion, state winner in Heritage Arts, county winner in dressmaking and spelling, and national collegiate speaking contest champion. Later, she earned an MA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and went on to become a public speaker, teacher, and writer. She developed proprietary materials for BellSouth and served as a freelance reporter for the Birmingham News. Her articles have also appeared in the Tennessee Genealogical Magazine, A Page in Time, and Christian Woman.