She spent 39 years cleaning the school. They named it after her.

Marilyn Hampton, 76, spent 39 years as a custodian for Aubrey Independent School District in Texas, and next August an elementary school will open bearing her name. Hampton did far more than keep the buildings clean. She helped students with schoolwork, bought supplies for kids who needed them, and worked the ticket booth at football games. "When I could help a kid and turn their smile up instead of down, that's what I wanted to do," she said. At a recent school board meeting, she was invited to the podium under the impression she was there to discuss a school issue. Superintendent Dr. Shannon Saylor asked her to unroll a small red carpet. Printed on it: Marilyn Hampton Elementary School. She did not understand at first, then she did. One of eight siblings and the only one to finish high school, Hampton had sometimes called herself a failure for never attending college. She retired in 2022 and promptly took a job caring for infants and toddlers.