Ruth Johnson Colvin
Encyclopedia
Ruth Johnson Colvin is the founder of the non-profit organization Literacy Volunteers of America, now called ProLiteracy Worldwide
in Syracuse, New York
, in 1962. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
by President George W. Bush
in December 2006.
. She was eldest of five children.
in Harvey, Illinois
where she received a two-year degree. She also attended Moser Business College in Chicago
and Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois
, where she met her future husband, Robert Colvin, who was majoring in business administration at Northwestern. They married in 1940, moved to Seattle, Washington
, then Syracuse, New York
, where he built a "lucrative sales and consulting career" around industrial chemicals. Together, the couple had two children.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University
in 1959.
when the 1960 census reports were released and in 1962 she learned that the city had over 11,000 people functioning at the lowest level of literacy. Always an avid reader herself, she worked with reading specialists at Syracuse University
and developed materials to train volunteer tutors various motivation and instruction techniques. She developed two tutor training manuals; Tutor and I Speak English which are considered to be authoritative sources for training volunteer tutors to teach adults basic literacy or English as a second language (ESL). The first tutors who completed the program were from Colvin's church women's group.
. The organization was chartered in New York State in 1967 as a tax-exempt, non-profit and the name was changed to Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. (LVA). It is a national, educational, non-profit organization with staff at the local, state and national levels and a volunteer board of directors. Colvin was the first president of the organization and a lifetime member of the board of directors.
In 1974, she created the English as a Second Language training program as well as a new reading series for learners. During the next few years she helped found The National Coalition for Literacy to increase public awareness of illiteracy. Colvin also published Student Involvement Guidelines to encourage student involvement in all aspects of literacy programs.
The organization currently has 330 programs in 42 states with over 100,000 volunteers and students. The non-profit works in conjunction with correctional facilities, adult educational programs, libraries, universities, community service programs and industry.
The non-profit looks for effective ways to teach basic literacy and English as a second language which stresses the importance of educationally sound "learner-centered" training of tutors and "ongoing support system."
From 1991 to 2001, Colvin helped with administration, training and fund development in Swaziland
, in the development of the country's only literacy program. She also assessed the needs and gave initial training for the Rotary Clubs of Zambia
, to set up Readers are Leaders in Zambia fund.
was formed when Laubach Literacy International and Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. merged in 2002.
Laubach Literacy International’s history begins in 1930, when Dr. Frank C. Laubach
was a missionary
among the Maranao
people of the Philippines
. His concern about their poor living conditions led him to conclude that the ability to read and write was essential for them to begin to solve their problems. As the Maranaos learned to read, they would, in turn, teach other adults on a one-to-one basis that became known as “Each One Teach One.” From 1935 to 1967, Dr. Laubach visited 105 countries answering calls for literacy help and created reading lessons in 315 languages. He founded Laubach Literacy International in Syracuse in 1955.
She was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush
on December 15, 2006, in the East Room of the White House
. The President noted that "Ruth Colvin is a person of intelligence and vision and heart. And she has earned the gratitude of many, and the admiration of us all."
as a volunteer tutor in the United States
and abroad. She started another literacy program in Madagascar
and Papua, New Guinea and has initiated another in Tok Pisin
. She also teaches in developing countries such as Madagascar
, Papua, New Guinea, Zambia
, Guatemala
, Pakistan
, Somalia
and China
.
In China
, Colvin trained teachers to incorporate conversational English in their classes. In Papua, New Guinea, she initiated a literacy program and trained teachers and wrote literacy training books in Tok Pisin
. She taught ten Cambodian women to teach another 103 village women who had no formal schooling. She also trained teachers in Madagascar
to teach locals English and was invited to return to the area to start a literacy program in Malagasy
.
She is currently a life member of ProLiteracy's Board of Directors.
.
In 1987, she received the President's Volunteer Action Award from President Ronald Reagan
, the highest award given to a volunteer.
She is the recipient of numerous awards in additional to the Presidential Medal of Freedom
in 2006 including the Women's Day National Award, the International Center Goodwill Ambassador Award, the Rotarian International Harris Fellow, the NE Synod Presbyterian Ecumenical Award, the President's Volunteers Action Award and the LVA President's Special Service Award. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
.
Colvin was inducted into sorority Kappa Delta's Hall of Honor, the highest honor the society bestows on its members.
ProLiteracy Worldwide
ProLiteracy is an international nonprofit organization based in Syracuse, N.Y., that supports the people and programs that help adults learn to read and write.-History:...
in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, in 1962. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in December 2006.
Biography
Colvin was born Ruth Johnson in Chicago, Illinois, on December 16, 1917. She was the daughter of Lillian Johnson and Harry Johnson (1891–1929), a Swedish-American, and owner of a construction conglomerate in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. She was eldest of five children.
Early years
She attended Thornton Junior CollegeSouth Suburban College
South Suburban College is a community college located in the south suburbs of Chicago serving the Chicago Southland. The main campus is situated in South Holland, Illinois with a second campus called the University and College Center in Oak Forest, Illinois...
in Harvey, Illinois
Harvey, Illinois
Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 30,000 at the 2000 census.Harvey is bordered by Dixmoor, Riverdale and Blue Island to the north, Posen and Markham to the west, South Holland, Phoenix, and Dolton to the east, and East Hazel Crest to the...
where she received a two-year degree. She also attended Moser Business College in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, where she met her future husband, Robert Colvin, who was majoring in business administration at Northwestern. They married in 1940, moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, then Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, where he built a "lucrative sales and consulting career" around industrial chemicals. Together, the couple had two children.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in 1959.
Early career
Colvin became aware of the problem of illiteracy in her hometown of SyracuseSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
when the 1960 census reports were released and in 1962 she learned that the city had over 11,000 people functioning at the lowest level of literacy. Always an avid reader herself, she worked with reading specialists at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
and developed materials to train volunteer tutors various motivation and instruction techniques. She developed two tutor training manuals; Tutor and I Speak English which are considered to be authoritative sources for training volunteer tutors to teach adults basic literacy or English as a second language (ESL). The first tutors who completed the program were from Colvin's church women's group.
Literacy volunteers
In 1962, Literacy Volunteers, Inc. was founded in SyracuseSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. The organization was chartered in New York State in 1967 as a tax-exempt, non-profit and the name was changed to Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. (LVA). It is a national, educational, non-profit organization with staff at the local, state and national levels and a volunteer board of directors. Colvin was the first president of the organization and a lifetime member of the board of directors.
In 1974, she created the English as a Second Language training program as well as a new reading series for learners. During the next few years she helped found The National Coalition for Literacy to increase public awareness of illiteracy. Colvin also published Student Involvement Guidelines to encourage student involvement in all aspects of literacy programs.
The organization currently has 330 programs in 42 states with over 100,000 volunteers and students. The non-profit works in conjunction with correctional facilities, adult educational programs, libraries, universities, community service programs and industry.
The non-profit looks for effective ways to teach basic literacy and English as a second language which stresses the importance of educationally sound "learner-centered" training of tutors and "ongoing support system."
From 1991 to 2001, Colvin helped with administration, training and fund development in Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, in the development of the country's only literacy program. She also assessed the needs and gave initial training for the Rotary Clubs of Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, to set up Readers are Leaders in Zambia fund.
ProLiteracy worldwide
ProLiteracy WorldwideProLiteracy Worldwide
ProLiteracy is an international nonprofit organization based in Syracuse, N.Y., that supports the people and programs that help adults learn to read and write.-History:...
was formed when Laubach Literacy International and Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. merged in 2002.
Laubach Literacy International’s history begins in 1930, when Dr. Frank C. Laubach
Frank Laubach
Frank Charles Laubach was an Evangelical Christian missionary and mystic known as "The Apostle to the Illiterates." In 1935, while working at a remote location in the Philippines, he developed the "Each One Teach One" literacy program. It has been used to teach about 60 million people to read in...
was a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
among the Maranao
Maranao
Maranao is the term used for the people of Lanao, a predominantly Muslim region in the Philippines island of Mindanao. They are famous for their artwork, sophisticated weaving, wood and metal craft, and their epic literature...
people of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. His concern about their poor living conditions led him to conclude that the ability to read and write was essential for them to begin to solve their problems. As the Maranaos learned to read, they would, in turn, teach other adults on a one-to-one basis that became known as “Each One Teach One.” From 1935 to 1967, Dr. Laubach visited 105 countries answering calls for literacy help and created reading lessons in 315 languages. He founded Laubach Literacy International in Syracuse in 1955.
Civic contributions
By 1977, Colvin was on the board of directors of the Syracuse Boy's Club and Consolidated Industries. She was also active in Volunteers of Greater Syracuse.Presidential medal of freedom
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on December 15, 2006, in the East Room of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The President noted that "Ruth Colvin is a person of intelligence and vision and heart. And she has earned the gratitude of many, and the admiration of us all."
Published works
- Tutor (1962)
- I Speak English (1962)
- Student Involvement Guidelines
- Basic Reading Workshop (video)
- Tutoring Small Groups Handbook
- Reading to Children (video)
- English as a Second Language Tutor Training Workshop
- How to Add Family Literacy to Your Program
- Maintaining the Balance: A Guide to 50/50 Management
- LVA Works: A Guide to Workplace Education
Recent years
Colvin remains active in ProLiteracy WorldwideProLiteracy Worldwide
ProLiteracy is an international nonprofit organization based in Syracuse, N.Y., that supports the people and programs that help adults learn to read and write.-History:...
as a volunteer tutor in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and abroad. She started another literacy program in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and Papua, New Guinea and has initiated another in Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...
. She also teaches in developing countries such as Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Papua, New Guinea, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Colvin trained teachers to incorporate conversational English in their classes. In Papua, New Guinea, she initiated a literacy program and trained teachers and wrote literacy training books in Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...
. She taught ten Cambodian women to teach another 103 village women who had no formal schooling. She also trained teachers in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
to teach locals English and was invited to return to the area to start a literacy program in Malagasy
Malagasy language
Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar, a member of the Austronesian family of languages. Most people in Madagascar speak it as a first language as do some people of Malagasy descent elsewhere.-History:...
.
She is currently a life member of ProLiteracy's Board of Directors.
Recognition and awards
Ruth Johnson Colvin has over 40 years of literacy experience and has published nine books. She has received 29 awards and honors for her efforts as well as "hundreds of people stories" from the 60 countries she has either worked in or visited. She is the recipient of seven honorary doctorates of humane letter degrees including one in May 1983, from her alma mater, Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
In 1987, she received the President's Volunteer Action Award from President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, the highest award given to a volunteer.
She is the recipient of numerous awards in additional to the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
in 2006 including the Women's Day National Award, the International Center Goodwill Ambassador Award, the Rotarian International Harris Fellow, the NE Synod Presbyterian Ecumenical Award, the President's Volunteers Action Award and the LVA President's Special Service Award. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame
The National Women's Hall of Fame is an American institution. It was created in 1969 by a group of people in Seneca Falls, New York, the location of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention...
.
Colvin was inducted into sorority Kappa Delta's Hall of Honor, the highest honor the society bestows on its members.