Gus Johnson learned to read when he was 61. The tutor seen with him here at the Main Library is Marilyn Anderson.
For most of us, a typical morning starts with the daily paper and a cup of coffee, our eyes scanning the headlines as we go on to read stories that inform us about local, national and international events. But for someone who can’t read, the words on the printed pages make no sense at all.
Until two years ago Gus Johnson was one of those people. At age 61 the odd job man had no reason to pick up a morning paper, magazine or book. He had gone through life barely getting by, asking for help from friends and family members when he needed it. Then he saw a television program that changed everything.
“I was watching the Hallmark cable station one night and there was this movie called The Reading Room. It was about an old man who was trying to learn how to read, and that really encouraged me,” says Johnson, who, inspired by what he had seen, thought maybe it wasn’t too late for him.
Read the entire article in the February 2008 issue
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