When Frances Buzzard started working as a janitor for Belle Elementary School in West Virginia, nobody was really expecting her to achieve great things. She was 77-year-old at the time and aside from the fact that they thought her age may be a problem, everyone really looked at her as just another custodian. When all was said and done, however, she really proved them wrong.
Buzzard went above and beyond her regular janitorial duties. She would make the furniture sparkle when she polished it and it wasn’t long before both the students and the staff were absolutely falling head over heels in love with this wonderful woman. She just has an old-school work ethic that really showed through, and it was something that was a breath of fresh air to everyone at the school.
As more and more people got to know her, she found it even more difficult because she was keeping a sad secret from everyone. Nothing can stay a secret forever, however, and eventually, the principal found out about the part of her life that she had kept hidden from everyone. He felt that he needed to confront her to find out the truth.
Buzzard was a little confused when they announced her name over the school’s loudspeaker that she should come to the cafeteria. She knew that they were having an assembly and all of the students and staff were in the hall. She went along with what they said, however, and thought it was just necessary to do one of her typical duties.
When she walked into the cafeteria, however, she saw something that she never could’ve expected. Over 200 students and staff were there waiting to celebrate her 77th birthday. It was a surprise birthday party and the principal had discovered that she had never had a birthday celebration in her life. They all decided to do something that would be special for her.
When she went into the door, she was met with a cheer of “happy birthday” and a song. They had cookies and cupcakes that they brought from the kitchen and she was even given a glittery tiara and birthday sash. They took her to a chair in the center of the room and she was the star for the day.
Attention was soon directed to one side of the room where a curtain was opened, revealing a large screen. On the screen was a slideshow that was a documentary of her history. Those photos included many historic events that she was part of during her long life.
One of the photos was Frances raising the flag at Iwo Jima and standing next to Neil Armstrong on the moon. She certainly had a lot of spunk in her day.
She recalled growing up in a poor family and her parents were unable to give her a birthday party or even celebrate the holidays.
“I don’t remember any. They didn’t do things like that. We didn’t have Christmas parties either. They would get us fruits and nuts when they could afford it.” she said.
The closest thing she ever had to a birthday party was an attempt when nobody showed up.
“They had me one, but it was so icy and cold, nobody came.”
She was now celebrating to make up for all of the years she missed. It was a surprise that would keep her smiling for a very long time.
The principal, staff and students all thought it out very clearly. You can see her smiling as they give her the birthday surprise in this video:
