Student Howard McGoldrick and one of his tutors, Marion Young
Excerpted from article written by Sharon Lee Tegler,
Capital Gazette Correspondent March 18, 2015
As a child in the 1940s, [Howard] McGoldrick learned his alphabet and was good at mathematics. But, unable to associate sounds with letters, he was not able to learn to read. He said no one from the school system helped him as he was passed along from grade to grade. He was treated cruelly by his classmates and shamed by his teachers who considered him “stupid” and relegated him to the back of the class.
“I got tired of having to have someone go with me to doctors’ offices to help me fill out the paperwork. I wasn’t able to read a menu so I stayed away from restaurants because I was embarrassed. I was never able to vote,” McGoldrick said.
After years of trying to cover up his illiteracy, he determined that he would learn to read when he retired at the age of 70. He searched for someone to teach him but found that there were no state-sponsored reading programs. Fortunately, he discovered the county’s Literacy Council program and met [Carol] Sures, a former journalist who became his [first] tutor.
