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Town Board Honors Ruby Houston

by | Feb 11, 2021

The Mayor read a proclamation for Ruby Houston – honoring her decades of service to the youth of our community.

 

The Mayor and Town Commissioners honored Ruby Houston at their February work session (via Zoom) Thursday evening. Mayor Rusty Knox read the following proclamation:

A PROCLAMATION

Honoring Ruby Houston

WHEREAS, Ruby Diane Houston, daughter of Ollie and Bernice Houston, was born and raised in Davidson; and

WHEREAS, Ruby’s grandfather, Logan Houston, was the PTA president of the Davidson Colored School in the 1930s. He and teacher, Ada Jenkins, worked tirelessly to spearhead the effort to build a bigger, brick school building to replace the aging 3-room wooden schoolhouse. The new Davidson Colored School was built in 1938, and Ada Jenkins subsequently served as the principal; and

WHEREAS, Ruby lives in the Davidson home that once belonged to Ada Jenkins, and then to her parents. In fact, she and her sister Karen grew up in the home; and

WHEREAS, She has worked in public education for nearly 40 years, from her start in early childhood education at the Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center, to adult education, to her nearly 35-year career with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools; and

WHEREAS, As an active member and volunteer at Davidson Presbyterian Church and several of our community nonprofits, Ruby has spent her life putting other people first. From food drives to fundraising to driving folks to the polls to vote (just like her father did in his old Ford pickup truck), if a neighbor is in need you can count on Ruby; and

WHEREAS, service is a family tradition. Her mother, Bernice Houston, was the first recipient of the Town of Davidson G. Jackson Burney Award and her sister Karen is an honorary member of the Davidson Fire Department; and

WHEREAS, Ruby Houston is retiring from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and plans to spend more time with her family.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mayor Rusty Knox and the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Davidson, do hereby proclaim February 1 as Ruby Houston Day in the Town of Davidson. We join Ruby, her family, and colleagues in celebrating her first day of retirement.

Proclaimed this 11th day of February 2021.

Signed – Rusty Knox

The video from the CMS Board meeting was posted on the E2D Facebook page.

 

It was also noted that Ruby was also honored at Tuesday night’s CMS Board Meeting. Davidson resident Pat Millen was the first speaker during the public comments period. He relayed the story that Ruby had been instrumental in the founding and development on Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D), the Davidson-based nonprofit that Millen leads. Ruby identified the first student recipient of an E2D laptop computer, and has remained involved in matching schools with the E2D.

Ruby took the time at the Davidson Town Board meeting to talk about the success of that initial student recipient of the computer. A student who was enabled to excel when she was given a laptop to be able to do her schoolwork, her homework. That student excelled – first in middle school, then high school, and then college.

Before moving on with the additional items on the evening agenda, several members of the board extended their personal words of thanks to Ruby for all she has done for Davidson and the larger CMS family.

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