Launching a legacy of literacy education started with one couple’s vision. In 1970, Raphael “Ray” Wagner, a UW-Extension professor, and his wife, Ernestine, attended a presentation by Dr. Frank Laubach, a renowned literacy advocate. This inspired them to create an adult literacy program in Madison. After years of work, the Wagners and a team of dedicated volunteers established Madison Literacy Council in 1974. Lessons for adults began with one-on-one tutoring and 70 people were served in the first year. To bring on more volunteers, intensive workshops were conducted to train tutors in the Laubach method of teaching reading.
The newly incorporated nonprofit was staffed entirely by volunteers until 1980, when the first part-time staff person, Pam Gates, was hired. Pam becomes the first paid Executive Director in 1982. Throughout the early ’80s, additional staff were hired, including the first volunteer coordinator.