LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The year was 1965, and 28-year-old Ruby Allnutt was a new cafeteria employee at Stonewall Elementary School in Lexington.
“We had to make everything from scratch,” she said. “Our hamburger buns, our hot dog buns.”
It’s now 2022, and Miss Ruby is still working at the very same school, her career spanning nearly six decades.
“The kids, I just love the kids,” Ruby told us Wednesday on her 57th-first day of school.
Times have changed since the ’60s. So has the uniform. But coworkers say Miss Ruby has stayed the same. Cory Collett was once a student at Stonewall who now works alongside his former lunch lady.
“I don't think you'll find anyone quite as dedicated,” Collett said. “She loves her job, absolutely loves her job.”
84-year-old Ruby still shows up to work each day, complete with a swipe of lipstick and a pair of earrings, ready to greet students at lunchtime.
“She just loves seeing the kids come down the line, and she's here all the time,” said employee Laura Herring.
There’s no doubt Miss Ruby has earned her retirement, but she has no plans to put down the spatula anytime soon, as she tells the school’s principal.
“No ma’am,” she said, laughing. “I’ll probably die here. That’s what I’ll tell Mr. Gatliff. I’ll probably die here.”
So for now, Miss Ruby will remain the gem of Stonewall Elementary.
