Ruth Johnson Colvin, the trailblazing founder of Literacy Volunteers of America, has passed away at the age of 107. Colvin, a Syracuse, New York native, died on Sunday according to ProLiteracy, an organization that formed through the merger of Literacy Volunteers and Laubach Literacy in 2002. Colvin, who remained active on ProLiteracy’s board of directors until her death, is remembered not only for her contributions to adult literacy but also for her unwavering dedication to education as a fundamental right.
In an online tribute, ProLiteracy acknowledged Colvin’s lasting impact: “We owe not only ProLiteracy’s existence to Ruth and her founding of Literacy Volunteers of America, but we are guided by her innate understanding that literacy is a right. We are humbled to have been able to learn from her for so long. Ruth willingly shared her wisdom with ProLiteracy staff, always encouraging us to continue our fight to improve adult literacy.”
Colvin’s journey began in 1962 after she discovered that 11,000 people in the Syracuse area were illiterate, based on data from the 1960 census. Motivated by this startling revelation, she took it upon herself to combat illiteracy by creating Literacy Volunteers of America. “In the 1950s, America was unaware it had an illiteracy problem. We thought illiteracy was in India, Africa, China. Not in America,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press, reflecting on the early genesis of her mission.
What started in her basement soon blossomed into a nationwide and international movement, extending across the United States and into numerous countries. Colvin, often accompanied by her husband Bob, who passed away in 2014 after 73 years of marriage, personally traveled the globe to train volunteers in effective reading instruction techniques.
Over her illustrious career, Colvin received numerous accolades recognizing her contributions. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. Earlier, in 1987, she was honored with the President’s National Volunteer Action Award by President Ronald Reagan. Her work earned her the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was bestowed upon her by President George W. Bush in 2006.
Colvin was also a prolific author. One of her notable works, a memoir titled “My Travels Through Life, Love and Literacy,” was published in 2020 when she was 103 years old. In it, she wrote, “Sometimes you have to step away from security into trust and faith and into a belief in your passions.”
Her life’s work and its impact were encapsulated in the hundreds of letters she received over the years from tutors, students, and supporters. These letters, as the ProLiteracy tribute noted, “represented her life’s work and proved that anyone can make a difference in the lives of others.”
