Richard Kerr, retired CIA deputy director, shared some of his personal experiences with that most secretive of organizations at the 17th annual Love of Literacy Luncheon, held last Thursday at the Vero Beach Country Club to benefit Literacy Services of Indian River County.
Prior to his talk, awards were presented to several students working to overcome great obstacles in accomplishing their goals.
“For 46 years, volunteer tutors and students have been changing lives one page, one book, one life at a time,” said board President Michelle Servos. In 2016 tutors spent more than 8,000 hours instructing more than 300 students, each striving toward their own unique personal goals.
“The need in our community is large. We have a waiting list of students and the need for what we do just keeps on growing,” said Servos. She introduced a new Circle of Friends initiative to support the organization, which receives no federal, state or local governmental funding.
Servos presented the Barbara Levere Outstanding Service Award to Our Lady Guadalupe Church in Fellsmere for its advocacy and assistance, noting, “Their support has allowed us to increase our services from serving one or two Fellsmere students a year to serving around 100 Fellsmere students a year.”
“This is one of my favorite moments of the year; it truly touches my heart,” said Mary Silva, executive director, before presenting Literacy Student of the Year awards to two students.
With limited reading skills, Russell McKinnon, tutored by Patrick Westcott, initially struggled to get through one paragraph, but with determination and hard work has since advanced several reading levels and now enjoys reading newspapers and books.
Because of comprehension issues, Roberto Garcia, tutored by Jane Moulton, had difficulty passing the driver’s permit test and had failed the FCATs. He has since secured a driver’s license, a high school diploma and a car, and now hopes to drive himself to college.
Maria Alvarez, tutored by Len Marcy, received the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Student of the Year Award. A vivacious and eager student, Alvarez entered the program not knowing a single word of English; she now goes out of her way to engage in conversation. “Knowing how to speak English is a powerful weapon,” said Alvarez. “It makes our community better.”
Kerr described himself as a poster child for reading, explaining, “Not because I didn’t know how to read, but because I did know how to read.” Because of a difficult family situation, he attended 25 schools before starting high school. “Twenty-five schools in eight years is not a good educational base. I learned literally nothing, except by osmosis.”
After “playing around” in high school, he had the good sense at 18 to choose the right woman to marry; they have been together nearly 64 years. He spent three years in the Army before obtaining a degree from the University of Oregon, and in 1960 joined the CIA and worked his way up.
Describing the CIA as a meritocracy, he said, “You do well or you get out; or they get you out. It gave me opportunities to fail and to succeed.”
He credits much of his success to being a voracious reader, noting, “Somehow early in my life I learned how to read. I read everything and anything; that’s what saved me through most of my professional life. Reading helps you think, organize your thoughts, it helps you write, and it helps you to speak. Without reading, none of those things transpires. Reading got me where I was, and if I was successful, it was because of reading.”
For information on the Circle of Friends or to become a tutor, visit literacyservicesirc.org.
