"Cora Wilson Stewart and the Struggle for Adult Literacy in Kentucky" will be the focus of a public presentation at EKU Wednesday, April 24.

Dr. Yvonne Baldwin, chair of the Department of Geography, Government and History at Morehead State University, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennamer Room of the Powell Building. The event is sponsored by EKU's Center for Kentucky History and Politics.

Stewart (1875-1958) was a pioneer in adult education. As Rowan County school superintendent, she was approached by several illiterate adults who begged her to teach them how to read and write. She agreed to open the schools during the evening so the adults could attend classes after the work.

Her initiative was the genesis for the famed "Moonlight School" movement, which began in Rowan County in 1911.

"Originally, classes could only be held in the evening when there was moonlight to guide the students' travels," explained Dr. Thomas Appleton, professor of history and associate director of the EKU Center for Kentucky History and Politics. "For that reason, the schools were popularly called 'moonlight schools.' The success of the adult education effort in Rowan County quickly spread throughout Kentucky and the South. Stewart rose to national and even international prominence as an authority on adult literacy."

Baldwin said she was "looking forward to returning to Richmond and my alma mater to talk about this fascinating woman, whose life and work form an important chapter in Kentucky history. Not only are her accomplishments noteworthy, they are timely as well. Literacy remains an issue of concern for this state and others, and programs to educate adults and out-of-school youth are still not equal to the task."