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The world needs a few more Rubye Striplands
Staff Report
Published November 30, 2009
If only we had more Rubye Striplands in this world.
Although Paris/Lamar County has its share of talent, Rubye Stripland serves as a shining example of how senior citizens can contribute in a special way.
At 67 years of age, the Powderly resident can be found at Aaron Parker Elementary School several days a week either volunteering or as a substitute in a classroom. She brings her lifelong experiences to a younger generation, many of whom will remember Rubye Stripland and the books she reads to them their entire lives.
Rubye uses her God-given talents to bring joy to the lives of youngsters, not only by being with them as a school volunteer but also by sharing her life and her values with them through the books she writes.
Parker Elementary students are fortunate to have had the experience of being a part of her books as her students helped the author name the animals she uses in her scripts to teach valuable lessons such as honesty and manners. Her books also deal with school-age issues like rudeness, greediness, fussiness, disagreements and teasing, among other things.
Rubye uses a cow she and her husband have had for the past 11 years as the main character in “Lucy Bell, Queen of the Pasture.” a series of four books.
“She (Lucy Bell) keeps law and order as the queen of the pasture and she has many animals to put up with — cattle, calves, billy goats, catfish and all these kind of things, especially a fussy squirrel named Benji and a rat named Muncher,” Rubye said. “She keeps them in line and she teaches them manners, and when they are greedy or something, she tells them they are wrong.”
Rubye gives God the credit for her inspiration, saying she did not know she had an imagination until she started writing.
“Honestly and truthfully, I can’t write a word unless the good Lord gives it to you,” she said. “I could sit there and type until I turned 100, and if I didn’t have a feeling for it, it wouldn’t work.”
If only we had more Rubye Striplands in this world.
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