Ruby Cheek: A Teacher in Both Realms
On the outside, Centre College presents itself as a beacon of higher education. A quick google search describes Centre as a small liberal arts college located in Danville, Kentucky with loose ties to the Presbyterian church - there is absolutely no mention of any unusual and unexplainable events. On the inside, however, one begins to hear stories alluding to the supernatural. Locations across the campus are rumored to be haunted by ghosts of Centre's past. Students gossip of the young man in Breckenridge Hall, the spirit in Sutcliffe, and the woman in Ruby Cheek House. While these stories fulfill their role of eliciting fear and entertainment, there are other contributions these tales have on Centre’s community. Centre College’s supernatural stories serve as tools of guidance that spark discussions, questions and investigations among the Centre community and creates a collective narrative for students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Among other buildings, Centre College housing units have been the setting of several supernatural stories. One building in particular, the Ruby Cheek House, is known for one paranormal resident, Ruby Moss Cheek. Ruby was a student at Centre College (at that time, the Kentucky Women’s College) from 1925-1929. During her time at Centre, she was involved in several clubs, including the Glee Club, Science Club, Iota Phi Kappa, and Student Government. Not only was Ruby successful in academics, but she also excelled in the music department. After graduation, Ruby took her talents to New York where she studied at Julliard and later to Ohio at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Ruby returned to Danville to teach music at Centre, and despite never having children of her own with her spouse, Samuel Cheek, she treated her students like family. In addition to teaching, she was also an active member and supporter of the West Tree Hill Conservatory, Danville Book Club, and Lexington Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Ruby passed away in her home, now student housing at Centre, in 1994. She gifted the school her home under the premise that the institution would take care of the building. Her legacy at Centre continues with the Ruby Moss Cheek music scholarship and Ruby Cheek House.
Located at 507 West Main Street, the Ruby Cheek ghost stories are ones of musical taste, lighting anomalies, and guidance. In one instance, two students noticed the lights flickering on the porch as they were listening to music. Having heard of Ruby Cheek, they couldn’t help but wonder if she was responsible for the electrical irregularities. To test their theory, they called out to Ruby, “Ruby, if you like this kind of music flicker once if you don’t like this flicker twice, and the light went off.”[i] They pressed play on a rap song and the lights flickered twice. The two women, quite unsettled, then played classical music. Shortly after the song began, the light flickered once. At this point, the women were forced to consider whether the lighting was a coincidence, or if Ruby was actually interacting with them. They were both skeptical, but they didn’t completely rule out the possibility that it was Ruby controlling the lights.
The next day, the women were rehashing the details of their experience with a group of men that also lived in the house. The men, even more doubtful that it was Ruby flickering the lights, began using her name in vain. As soon as one male student said, “I don’t believe in Ruby, I’m not scared of no ghosts, especially an old fat bitch of one.”[ii] the lights suddenly began turning off and on along the length of the ceiling and continued this erratic behavior for a few minutes. To make matters even scarier, the television went completely black and began to smoke. Everyone in the room panicked - there were, “shirtless football players screaming, running through the halls running out of the house.”[iii] The students later thought, “we insult the woman who owns this house. And this happens.”[iv] and realized that the entire situation seemed less and less like a coincidence. Shortly after this incident, maintenance came to check the lights. They reported that there was no explanation for the lights to behave as they did.
When we reflect on Ruby’s life, both at Centre and post-graduation, we notice intersections between her interests while she was alive and how she expresses those passions in her hauntings. In the first story, Ruby flicks the light one time to show she liked classical music rather than more modern music. This directly reflects Ruby’s affection for classical music while she was alive. Furthermore, Ruby Cheek is generally regarded as a friendly ghost; stories of Ruby are more amicable than evil. In one anecdote, one student remembers hearing her door open at night, footsteps creaking to her bed, and feeling a “compression” at their feet, like someone was sitting there. Initially, the student was very frightened. But in an overwhelming wave of emotions, her terror turned to something else. She first thought, “I’m really terrified. I’m really scared.”[v] as the unknown being perched on the end of her bed. But suddenly, she felt, “comfort and like, safety and love.”[vi] And then the weight lifted, the floor creaked, and the door closed. Research on Ruby and her house revealed that the room where this event occurred is actually the room where Ruby passed away. This speaks to Ruby’s passion for her students. In Ruby’s obituary, she was praised for her dedication to her students and her unwavering desire to help them. In this story, Ruby seemed to carry this yearning to succor and help Centre students. This theme continues in the situation with the men disrespecting Ruby in her own house. The manic light served as a warning - Ruby’s reputation as a kind spirit is contingent on her being treated appropriately. Even in this story, however, Ruby is not devious. Rather, she is attempting to guide the students towards being well-mannered, polite individuals that treat Centre well. As a teacher, Ruby fostered positive growth in her students both academically and socially. As a ghost, she continues her role as this mentor.
Ruby Cheek is just one ghost of the many that allegedly reside at Centre. Centre’s history and paranormal community, while unsettling and creepy at times, has sparked conversations that emphasize a common link between Centre students, alumni, faculty, and staff. While not every person on campus has interacted with the supernatural, the entire Centre community contributes to this discussion. We have all been confused, scared, and intrigued together over the stories that have rumored our campus for years. In this clip, you can see Lily Roark’s reaction to having a mutual paranormal experience with another Centre student. In this powerful moment, it becomes obvious how these stories bring the campus together.
These conversations connect the Centre community and provide a collective narrative bound in all of our college experiences. For Ruby Cheek, she continues her instructing days to teach respect. Other supernatural beings around campus carry their own agenda and influence Centre students’ behavior in different ways. Regardless of how, when, and which ghost it is, every person who has passed through Centre has been molded in some way by these supernatural stories.
Bibliography
“1966 Ruby Moss Cheek 1930.” Centre Alumni. Accessed January 30, 2021. http://alumni.centre.edu/s/285/bp20/interior.aspx?sid=285&gid=1&pgid=659
“Old Centre 1929 Women’s Department.” Centre College Digital Archives. Accessed January 27. https://centre.omeka.net/items/show/1235
“Ruby Moss Cheek - Obituary.” Newspaper.com. Accessed January 31, 2021. Ruby-moss-cheek-obituary
Roark, Lily. By Abi Bosworth. January 14, 2021.
“The Centre College Cento.” Centre College Digital Archives. Accessed February 1.
Endnotes
[i] Lily Roark, Interview by Abi Bosworth, January 14, 2021
[ii] Lily Roark, Interview by Abi Bosworth, January 14, 2021
[iii] Lily Roark, Interview by Abi Bosworth, January 14, 2021
[iv] Lily Roark, Interview by Abi Bosworth, January 14, 2021
[v] Lily Roark, Interview by Abi Bosworth, January 14, 2021
[vi] Lily Roark, Interview by Abi Bosworth, January 14, 2021