When was Ruth Johnson Colvin awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Literacy pioneer's achievements explored after her death at 107

Ruth Johnson Colvin, who founded the Literacy Volunteers of America, died at 107 in Syracuse, New York, on August 18, 2024. Colvin dedicated her life to spreading literacy among the people in America after discovering that 11,000 fellow Onondaga County residents were illiterate during the 1960 census.

Ruth Johnson Colvin won many accolades throughout her lifetime, with President Ronald Reagan awarding her the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 1987. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-President George Bush in 2006. While presenting her the award, which is the US's highest civilian honor, the former president said:

“Ruth Colvin is a person of intelligence and vision and heart. And she has earned the gratitude of many and the admiration of us all.”

Colvin was also inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.

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Ruth Johnson Colvin started her literacy nonprofit in her basement in 1962

Ruth Johnson Colvin was born in Chicago on December 16, 1916, as the eldest of five siblings to parents Harry and Lilian Johnson. Her father, who died when she was 12, had put aside college funds for his five children, but her uncle, the executor of his estate, said the money was reserved for her brothers and she would only be paid to attend a secretarial school as she was "just a girl."

According to The New York Times obituary, this did not deter Ruth Johnson Colvin, who attended night classes at Thornton Junior College and graduated with an associate degree. After her father's estate was settled, Colvin attended Northwestern University and began dating her husband, Robert John Colvin, whom she was married to for 73 years till his death in 2014.

The two tied the knot in 1940 and settled in Syracuse in 1942, where they had two children. Ruth Johnson Colvin enrolled at Syracuse University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959. Her education shed light on the illiteracy rate in the US and the 1960 census, which revealed that illiteracy was at her doorstep and that over 11,000 people didn't know how to read and write in her town.

“11,500. I’ll never forget that number. It said there were 11,500 functional illiterates in Syracuse – in my town!" Colvin recalled in a 2020 interview.

Colvin began her nonprofit, Literacy Volunteers of America, in her basement in 1962. She recruited volunteers from her church to teach people basic English to improve their quality of life by helping them gain job interviews and further their education. By 1967, her nonprofit grew to house 77 volunteers and 100 students.

In 2002, Ruth Johnson Colvin merged her nonprofit with Laubach Literacy International to form ProLiteracy, taking her literacy programs internationally to over 60 other countries. She stayed on the Board of Directors at ProLiteracy till her death on Sunday. The organization released an online tribute in Colvin's memory, which read:

“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 also penned 12 books detailing her work to eradicate illiteracy. Ruth Johnson Colvin is survived by her two children, Terrence and Lindy, and six grandchildren.