Ingram celebrates century of life

By Staff, 09/3/18 8:19 AM

PRESCOTT – A rare milestone was celebrated Saturday in the cafeteria of Prescott Junior High School – the 100th birthday of Ruth Paden Ingram.

The cafeteria was packed with family, friends and well-wishers, all there to celebrate Ingram’s turning 100-years-old. Her birthday was Friday, Aug. 31, but celebrated on Saturday to give people time to get there from out of state in many cases.

The wall behind the main table was decorated with a giant “Baby Ruth” candy bar banner. This is because Ingram’s nickname is “Baby Ruth”. She earned the moniker because she enjoys eating the candy bar, and started eating it because it had her name.

Ingram was born in Ashdown on Aug. 31, 1918, but moved to Prescott where she and her first husband, Bennie, raised eight children, four boys and four girls. She outlived Bennie and married Frank Ingram when she was 80. Along with eight children, she has 27 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren and 33 great-great-grandchildren.

Ingram worked as a custodian with the Prescott School District for 20 years before retiring. She’s a big fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the Golden State Warriors her favorite team. When there’s an NBA game on, she’s in front of the television watching it. Anyone wanting to watch something different has to go to another room. When she could, she loved to cook  and was known for her chicken and dressing, chicken and dumplings and vegetable soup. It wasn’t surprising to anyone that she took her cooking to Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Willisville to share with everyone. Though she doesn’t cook, she still attends church regularly, with “I’m Determined” her favorite hymn.

She credits her longevity to prayer and the grace of the Lord, though several joked it could also be her mixing coffee creamer in with her oatmeal, a tidbit of information revealed during a trivia game about her life. The other trivia question was about her favorite game shows – “Family Feud” and “The Price is Right”.

Three people read from the “Book of Ruth”, memories of Ingram shared by friends and family. She was first remembered as the sweet lady who gave hugs and smiles to scared middle school students, who also touched a lot of young lives. She was also remembered as an inspiration who was kind and “the epitome of virtue”, who provided light to brighten the lives of others. Ingram was said to have “thrown” her faith to her children as she lived it. The children relied on her leadership as she taught them how to do life. She was also called a verbal warrior.

State Rep. Danny Watson presented Ingram with a citation from the Arkansas House of Representatives in recognition for her reaching this milestone. Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver followed, proclaiming Sept.1, 2018 as “Ruth Ingram Day” in Prescott.