Steve Ruby works to share late wife’s passion for literacy education

Steve Ruby was working in the bookstore of the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library when he met Paulette Harris, PhD, in 2015.

“I went to work there in February,” said Ruby, who had recently moved to Augusta from Florida to be closer to his daughter following the death of his wife of 37 years.

“Paulette wandered in the door in June, and we just started talking,” Ruby recalled. “She had lost her husband; I had lost my wife, and we used that as a way to get together and chat.”

The pair met for coffee a couple of times, and then Harris invited Ruby to join her on a Patriot Riverboat Tour.

Much to his surprise, Ruby soon learned that Harris would be driving the boat, and not just any boat, a big boat – about 50 feet long and capable of seating about 60 passengers comfortably.

“Paulette, whether you knew it or not, had a captain’s license to drive a big boat,” Steve explained with a smile. “Always wanting to reach the top, she joined the U.S. Power Squadron, took all the tests and became a captain. So, she drove the boat up and down the Savannah River.”

Ruby and Harris married just six months later in December 2015.

“It was a whirlwind courtship,” Ruby said.

In becoming so closely connected to Harris, a distinguished professor of education at Augusta University, Ruby couldn’t help but get immersed in the Augusta University Literacy Center, where Harris, its 1990 founder, spent much of her time. It was her life’s passion for more than three decades, and to know Harris was to know and value the literacy center. Soon Ruby began volunteering and tutoring there.

“You could see the difference you were making in somebody’s life,” he said. “People may have been a little nervous on their first visit, but as they started coming in more often, you saw them get more into it and want to learn more and do more. It was very refreshing to see.”

He also experienced satisfaction in witnessing students who were not doing well in school go on to perform better because of the help they received at the literacy center. Ruby said it was wonderful to watch and to see how much they appreciated what was going on.

“It was a remarkable thing that Paulette did,” Ruby said. “I’m not sure that people took it as seriously as they should have, but the people who were involved in it just adored her. The parents and others, too, thought she did a wonderful thing.”

Ruby remembers all the notes of praise that Harris received from teachers detailing how well their students performed after beginning tutoring at the literacy center. He also got to know the families that passed down their fondness for the literacy center to their children and children’s children.

“We had a couple of people who were third generation coming to the literacy center,” Ruby remarked. “Grandmothers who brought their grandchildren because they had been there, they brought their own children and their grandchildren – they loved it.”

Harris loved it, too.

“She put so much of her life into it – she started from zero and grew the oak tree and, despite any complications, always managed to come out on top,” Ruby said proudly. “She always kept it moving and getting bigger. She put a lot of her life and time and everything into it, and it paid off well for a lot of people.”

Because of a generous blended gift from Ruby, the life and legacy of Harris will live on at the Dr. Paulette P. Harris Literacy Center, located in the HUB for Community Innovation Augusta, as it now bears her name in perpetuity.

Throughout her 42-year tenure at AU, Harris served in various roles: faculty member, director of clinical and field experiences, chairperson, certification officer and interim dean of the then-College of Education. Her remarkable contributions extended to holding the esteemed Cree-Walker Professor of Education Chair for over two decades. At the time of her passing in 2021, she held the distinction of being the longest-serving tenured faculty member within the University System of Georgia.

During that time, Harris also managed to turn a small facility on Magnolia Drive near the Forest Hills Campus into what would become the Augusta University Literacy Center. As the founder and director of the program, Harris began helping adults who were struggling with literacy by giving them a place to go and the resources needed to learn to read. She soon began instructing children as well, and her efforts impacted thousands of people during her 31 years running the literacy center.

While Harris never got to see the finished literacy center at the HUB for Community Innovation, she was part of the team that looked for the new location. Because of her tenacity and passion for growing the literacy center from its inception, it continues to help countless people of all ages in the Augusta area.

One way the Literacy Center looks to make a difference in the area is through the Books for Shay program. On Saturday, July 27, the Hub will be combining its annual back-to-school event with Books for Shay for a special event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For information about how you can make a lasting impact at the Dr. Paulette P. Harris Literacy Center, please email Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement or call 706-721-4001.