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Children at Porter Elementary School who were on the receiving end of Ruth Hurdel's contagious enthusiasm for reading can take that with them on into adulthood.

This mother, grandmother and great-grandmother would hope for nothing less.

Hurdel volunteered in the Reading for Success program in Blount County Schools for years, at least once weekly and in many cases a lot more. She passed away on Dec. 26, 2009 at the age of 76, but the foundation she laid with so many at Porter will not be forgotten.

On Tuesday, her three children were present as the Reading for Success Coordinator, Mary Jane Jones, dedicated a book in Hurdel's honor which was then placed among the shelves for these elementary school children to enjoy. Jones said Hurdel was someone who mirrored her own passion for reading and who wanted to be part of the lives of children in this community.

“The first time I got together with her we were like two peas in a pod,” Jones said. “It was a race to see who was going to talk the most.”

Hurdel's son, David Swift Jr., said her volunteerism didn't start after her retirement. She raised a family, worked outside the home and found time to give back — first in Baltimore and then here in Blount County where she came to reside in 1989. In addition to her time at Porter, Hurdel also worked as a volunteer at Montvale Elementary.

“Kids were her passion,” Swift said. “Our yard growing up in Baltimore was the center point of everything that went on in the neighborhood. And that didn't stop even after we left home. The children of children came back to visit mom.”

Carol Thomas is Hurdel's daughter. She said her mother was a child at heart. She loved kids and never met a stranger.

Volunteering at Porter kept her young and active, daughter Monica Aistrop added. She said Hurdel had a talent for crafts in addition to her love for reading. She would bring different projects into the classroom to stir some excitement.

The book chosen in honor of Hurdel is called “Read It, Don't Eat It!” Librarian Brenda Goins said she selected the book because of its theme of taking care of your books so you can enjoy them for a lifetime.

And although Hurdel was a grandmother, she didn't particularly care for the title of granny, and her students knew it. Each of them called her A'Ma, a more endearing term.

She didn't tell people her real age; sometimes she was 29, or 34 or 39. Her family was quite pleased with her attitude on the matter. She was, after all, part of a classroom or rambunctious 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds.

She was the perfect fit.