With a background like Lucille had, it was almost impossible to do anything but succeed at school. She was always at the top of her class and required very little attention from her teachers. Lucille was also a very serious child and rarely played in the yard or made mud pies or any of the things the other children did. Almost all of her time was spent in serious reading.

The Ruffin family felt that reading was an exercise, not unlike physical exertion. It was something to work at and something to sweat at. Certainly, they all enjoyed the act of reading and following new characters to some far-off land. But like an athlete enjoys his sport, there are also countless hours spent in tremendous exertion honing their muscles and their craft. The Ruffins felt the same way about literature. You could enjoy it, but you also had to work tremendously hard at it as well. So the most scholastic pressure put on Lucille throughout her early education was by herself and her family. The local schools, even private ones, could not challenge Lucille at all.

After graduating from high school, Lucille attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. She majored in English and excelled as usual. She was fascinated by the many great authors of the South and focused on many of the contemporary authors of the day like William Faulkner.

Lucille received her master's degree from Brown and her doctorate degree from Harvard. She had become somewhat of a recognized expert in Southern Literature and she accepted her first teaching job at the University of Alabama.

While in Tuscaloosa, Lucille met Joshua Moore. Joshua was on the art faculty of Alabama and the son of a wealthy family in Birmingham. They enjoyed a tepid romance, at least by most standards, because they were both so immersed in their work. But although most people would say that Lucille and Joshua's relationship was cold, it worked perfectly for the two of them. They were ardent supporters of the arts and encouraged each other's academic pursuits.

Lucille's dreams came true when she applied for a position at the University of Mississippi. She had always longed to walk the same streets as her hero, William Faulkner. So there was no discussion needed for the couple. They immediately moved to Oxford and settled down to a life of serious scholarship.

Near-tragedy struck Lucille a few years later when, while crossing a swollen creek mentioned in a Faulkner story, Lucille was swept away by the current. She collided with some rocks downstream and nearly drowned, barely escaping with her life and a shattered knee. Although surgeons did what they could, Lucille would use a cane for the rest of her days. The cane became her trademark, and she used it as pointer, prod, and was not shy about bringing it down with a loud "whack!" to wake a drowsing student or intimidate a stubborn faculty member.

Lucille's daydream life in Oxford became strained when Joshua was diagnosed with cancer. He was slowly dying, and Lucille took a leave of absence from her courses and research to care for him. She held the paintbrush in his hand when he was too weak so he could continue to paint.

Finally, after Joshua passed away, Lucille decided that she would not return to work. She had not missed the politics of the academic world during her leave and enjoyed the quiet solitude of her days. So she contented herself with her own academic pursuits, outside of the university, and puttering in her garden. Only the travesty of having a beauty pageant deface the memory and work of her beloved Faulkner gave Lucille the motivation to re-enter public life.