Mary Austin Has Tutored at Ordnance Road Correctional Center for Close to 21 Years
Literacy Council tutor and Board member Mary Austin has tutored at the Ordnance Road Correctional Center (ORCC) for close to 21 years. She is part of a team of two AACLC tutors who currently volunteer at the jail. Evelyn Rubel has tutored at ORCC for about 23 years.
The two volunteer at ORCC on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Last year, they worked with 26 incarcerated students—both men and women, ranging in age from their early twenties to 60 and older.
Mary helps the students relax and feel comfortable as she settles in to work with them on English or pre-GED studies for a couple of hours. She finds that asking tutees to write a brief autobiography about their lives before they were detained is helpful.
“To have the inmates write stories about themselves is amazing,” Mary said. It can inspire them and bring a little happiness. They may have forgotten how life was when they had freedom and were making their own decisions. The writing exercise also reveals students’ abilities.
Some of the students Mary and Evelyn tutor have had little or no schooling. Mary often works with inmates who speak Spanish and not much English. She uses a Spanish phrase book to help her and sometimes gets assistance from Spanish-speaking staff at the jail.
“It’s good that at the jail, people have the opportunity to learn,” Mary said. ORCC is the county’s medium security facility for men and women who have been convicted and sentenced to terms of up to 18 months. It also holds men and women who are awaiting trial. According to the County’s website, the center offers extensive programming designed to prepare inmates for successful re-entry to the community after they have completed their sentence. The pre-GED and GED programs at ORCC are administered by Anne Arundel Community College.
Students that Mary and Evelyn work with have achieved many goals, including earning high school diplomas, passing sections of the GED, and advancing through their curriculum.
“Mary is a valued member of the Success Through Education Program here at Ordnance Road Correctional Center,” said Amy Leydecker, the Education Coordinator at ORCC. “She has dedicated many years to helping others with their educational needs, which is so important to the re-entry process. Her efforts are truly appreciated by the individuals we work with, as well as the staff.”
“I am a people person. I didn’t realize that until my 40s,” Mary said of her desire to help others. “I’ve always been a caregiver.”
Mary has lived in Anne Arundel County all her life. She is from Pasadena and is now retired and living in Glen Burnie. She had a long and varied career that included time as a secretary at a law office in Baltimore right after high school, several years at Westinghouse assisting engineering teams, and twenty years with the railroads in various positions. When she left work in the late 1980s, Mary opened an at-home daycare, which she ran for five years. “I’ve had so many good jobs,” she said.
Mary has volunteered at Sunrise Senior Living, Langton Green, and with the Literacy Council. She is active in her community and two bible studies. “God has been good to me,” she said.
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Studies show that adult education helps reduce recidivism, prevent future crime, and improve community wellness.
(Barbara Bush Foundation 2023 Annual Report)
