Inspired by a grandmother’s love
Ruby’s Academy Childcare and Preschool was established in loving memory of Ruby Middleton Forsythe (“Miss Ruby”), the grandmother of our current owner, Vaudrien Forsythe Ray. Miss Ruby was an elementary school teacher in South Carolina and widely known for providing education to the African American community during the Jim Crow era. She was the recipient of four honorary doctorates, with a career that spanned more than six decades.
Miss Ruby taught at Holy Cross-Faith Memorial Episcopal School, a one-room schoolhouse on Pawley’s Island, where her husband was a priest. The school was the only school open for Black children during that time. For more than 60 years, Miss Ruby educated her students in reading, mathematics, spelling and geography but more than academics, she focused on discipline, respect and social responsibility.
With over 70 children from pre-school through fourth grade, often coming to school with an educational disadvantage, Miss Ruby instilled in each of them to believe in themselves and to know they can achieve whatever they set out to accomplish. She was known to insist that her students never say, “I can’t.” She inspired them to say, “I’ll try.”
Many of her students would walk for miles to get to school. Parents and volunteers supported the school by taking turns cleaning, gardening and transporting many of the children in order for Miss Ruby to play a role in their upbringing. Many of Miss Ruby’s graduates went on to colleges and universities and have made significant contributions within their communities.
Born on June 27, 1905, in Charleston, Miss Ruby attended Avery Institute and received her bachelor degree from South Carolina State College. She began her teaching career in 1924 and taught for 65 years.
At age 85, Miss Ruby still walked down the stairs from her living quarters above the school and rang her brass school bell to start a new day of nurturing and learning. She continued teaching because there was a need for children to learn. Her philosophy of teaching was: “I like the idea of sowing the best seed into whatever soil we come in contact with. Watch the growth and the reproduction of the product sent forth.”
Miss Ruby passed away at age 86 in Mount Pleasant.
Ruby’s Academy is proud to be a continuation of Miss Ruby’s trailblazing approach to education and caring for children. The bell in our logo is a tribute to her legacy.