Man learns to read at age 72

MURFREESBORO – When 72-year-old Cecil Parker was asked to write a love letter to his bride of 47 years at a marriage workshop, his heart sank.

“I said, ‘Uh, oh, it’s not happening.’ I couldn’t do it,” said Parker, who was attending the workshop that was directed by his son and daughter-in-law, Ricky and Jamie Parker.

That did it, he said, and decided it was time he learned how to read.

He had no idea where to turn for help, but his daughter-in-law’s mother gave him the phone number for Read To Succeed, which is hosting a two-session tutor training Thursday and Jan. 29.

Since then Parker has visited the Lon Nuell Literacy Center, located inside First Baptist Church on East Main, each week with literacy tutor Robin Coble. On most days, he’s early to his appointment.

“I enjoy it. ... It’s not been that hard,” said Parker, who said he could reach just a few words here and there, “enough to get by,” he added.

As a young boy, he’d been able to attend school, albeit periodically, in Rutherford County. He graduated eighth grade and said he had big plans for attending high school.

“I was intending to break the 4-minute mile. So I ran all summer ... so I could do cross country,” recalled Parker, who lived on a farm near Kittrell.

On the first day of high school when Parker went to get dressed for the new adventure, he was met with disappointing news. The oldest of 12 children, Parker’s dad told him he had to forgo formal schooling and go to work on the family farm.

He was devastated, “in the worst kind of way,” Parker said.

“That was the hardest part ... he didn’t tell me. I said, ‘Why’d you let me run all summer if you wasn’t gonna let me go?’ ... But I got over it,” Parker said.

But over the years, he didn’t learn to read. Sure, he could make out a few words here and there. He could make out score results on the sports page in the newspaper. He could discern road signs. But he didn’t bother tackling spelling and reading much.

It didn’t affect his career in construction, though, he said. History, geography and arithmetic weren’t problematic subjects for him. He said he could add a row of numbers quickly and was able to calculate measurements he needed in order to hang drywall.

As time passed, and technology advanced, getting along “got a lot harder.”

“That’s why I decided to change,” Parker said. “And when they told me to write that letter, that’s what flipped me over the edge,” joked the Murfreesboro grandfather.

That determination is translated into an eagerness to learn.

“He comes every single week and he’s gotten so much better. He does everything I ask him to do and he goes above and beyond. The greatest part is he is willing to learn and wants help. He catches on pretty quick, too,” said Coble, Parker’s tutor. “He even adds on extra stuff. ... And I’ve been starting to incorporate extra things in.”

Coble said her adult learner’s confidence has soared, too. In fact, in addition to taking on the task of learning to read, Parker even led singing at in front of a group recently.

He does have a few literary goals, though. He wants to be able to write a letter to his wife. But he also wants to read the Bible to his wife, instead of her reading it to him. The two have a nightly ritual of reading the Bible.

While Parker may be the oldest adult learner to come through Read To Succeed, the reasons for his inability to read are not uncommon, said Read To Succeed’s Adult Literacy Coordinator Debbie Mankin.

“There’s so many out there like him. That’s why his story is so important and so inspiring,” Mankin said.

Many times students fall through the cracks. But Read To Succeed is there to bridge the gap.

“We do basic literacy, we also get people ready for GED and we do ESL one-on-one tutoring,” Mankin said.

To learn more about ways to serve with Read To Succeed, or to find out about literacy services, visit readtosucceed.org or call 615-738-7323. A few spots may still be open for the two-session literacy training set for Thursday and Jan. 29.

Contact Nancy De Gennaro at 615-278-5148 or degennaro@dnj.com. Follow her on Twitter @DNJMama.