George Archer, an American golfer won 12 tournaments on the PGA tour including one Master champion, which is one of golf;s four major championships in 1969. He came in tenth place in the US Open in 1969, 5th in 1971, and in 1968 he took 4th place in the PGA Championship.
George was a true golfing legand. He died in 2005 with a secret that his widow announced in Golf Magazine, that George was illiterate.
“Despite years of effort, he never learned to read beyond a rudimentary level. He never could write more than a few crude sentences,” Donna Archer wrote in the article, The Secret They Shared.
“Eventually, he was able to get through an article on the sports page, and he learned to write his name for autographs,” she wrote, “But that was it.”
“Over the years, George became incredibly adept at covering up his disability. But he was always afraid fans would want him to personalize an autograph, or that he’d have to read some prepared sentences on television.”
With intervention George could have been helped. How many others are keeping a secret. I have learned that with a six week intervention for adults a significant difference could have been made in helping with his illiteracy.
One of my wishes is that we knock out illiteracy so the George’s of the world can be proud of their accomplishments without having a secret.
Thanks! Nice post.