If you enter the elevator operated by Martha Booker at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, prepare to follow the rules. The Tennessean recently profiled Booker, a 68-year-old mother of three, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of five. The beloved elevator attendant simply will not move the elevator without smiling passengers. Once, country music superstar Vince Gill made the mistake of entering her cab without a grin. When she told him why she couldn’t move the elevator, he “busted out laughing.” Booker has also met Lionel Richie and Trace Adkins, among other celebrities. A well-known personality herself, Booker is on a first-name basis with many season ticket holders.
During her 18-year tenure at Bridgestone, Booker has worked in many areas. She ended up in the elevator full-time a few years back and works sitting down due to health issues. Besides her smile to ride rule, Booker has banned cussing (kids don’t need to hear “all that”) and touching the buttons in her elevator. Booker feels it’s important that she keeps working: “God has me here for a reason. I’m so blessed.” Her bright smile and joyful demeanor make her passengers feel that way, too.
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