Alferd Williams, a 70-year-old man from Missouri made the decision to go back to school to learn how to read. He spent his childhood working out in the fields picking cotton to support his family, instead of going to school. However, his mother made him promise that he would learn to read one day. His mother did teach him how to count, as this was a needed skill for picking cotton.
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Fast Facts
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Alferd Williams
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Turned age 71 in third grade
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Enrolled in 1st grade at age 68 to learn to read
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Lives in a friend's laundry room
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Kids in his class love him
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Edison Elementary School set up a fund to help him out financially while he's a student
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Toys for Tots Literacy Program awarded him with first "Alferd Williams Literacy Award"BND.com: At 71, Mo. third-grader leaves legacy in literacy
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