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70-year-old in first grade becomes unlikely heroBy STEVE ROCKThe Kansas City StarST. JOSEPH | As he walks the halls of Edison Elementary School, student Alferd Williams is a rock star.Kids of all ages throw their arms around his waist. They holler to him across the cafeteria, or wave to him on the playground, or excitedly whisper to a friend, “That’s Alferd!â€They want to read with him, or sit with him at lunch … or simply ask him about his recent appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.â€Life may never be the same for Williams, 70.“I never, ever dreamed of all this,†Williams said on Friday, his classmates scurrying outside to recess. “All I ever really wanted to do was learn how to read.â€That’s all it took.Because Williams has moved an entire nation with the way he’s gone about doing that, by sitting in with a classroom of first-graders and embracing the opportunity with the heart of a child.His story has been splayed out on the pages of People magazine — “Heroes Among Us,†the section is called — and on national television broadcasts like this week’s appearance with DeGeneres. He’s been flown to Chicago to appear on “Oprah†and to Los Angeles for the gig with DeGeneres.As one classmate said, “Alferd’s famous.â€But that’s not why he’s doing this. Not at all.Rewind to the 1940s, to Williams’ childhood in Tennessee. He grew up the son of a sharecropper and spent his time in a field, not in a classroom.There was work to be done, after all.Over the years, he managed to get by without knowing so much as the alphabet. He did some concrete work, some welding, some cooking.“I could do everything but the paperwork,†he says now, proudly.He had nine children — his strained relations with them sadden him to this day — spent some time in a homeless shelter and now survives on meager Social Security pay.But through it all, he never forgot a promise he made to his mother: that he would one day learn how to read.That’s what brought him here, to Alesia Hamilton’s classroom. She started working with him nearly two years ago, when Williams was walking a friend’s children to school. Hamilton assumed he was a grandfather and asked if he had read a note she recently sent home with the children.He hadn’t, of course.And thus was born their relationship, the two-hour daily lessons that Hamilton gave him in the school library.Hamilton eventually invited Williams into the classroom, a mysterious and curious place for Williams. He was hesitant at first, wondering whether the kids would accept him.Here he was, a man with gray hair and no teeth and a body worn down by decades of hard labor.He’s not wondering any more.“Well, he’s a different age from us,†said Heather Johnson, 7. “But he still acts like a first-grader.“And if you tickle him behind his ears,†she said, a smile sneaking across her face, “he’ll laugh and laugh.â€Sure enough, once he’s inside that classroom, Williams becomes one of them.In there, he’s not a celebrity. He’s not an albatross, an old man. He’s just … Alferd, every bit a part of this classroom as broken crayons and Lilly the guinea pig.“He’s got such a sweet spirit,†Hamilton said.That spirit shines through every day, much like it did on Friday.There sat Williams, perhaps the only first-grader in the world with a full cup of coffee, while Hamilton read The Giving Tree to him and 19 of his classmates. In front of him sat a young girl, her head resting comfortably against Williams.As his teacher spoke, Williams soaked up every word.“Sometimes,†he finally said aloud to the class, explaining the book’s lesson, “you gotta give all you got.â€When it was time for a “Brain Break,†the kids stood in a circle and sang. Williams sang, too, clapping each time the words “alligator purse†came up and giggling his joyous laugh.Kids hugged him, and ignored him, and scratched his back, and stepped over him.And when it was time to read, Williams retired to a corner and broke open Little Bear. This is Williams’ favorite part of the day, the time when he expands his world by diving into anything from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to New York, New York: The Big Apple From A to Z.He never knew he could be this happy, this complete. He feels a sense of freedom, even empowerment, that he never before knew was possible. He feels it when he shops for groceries, when he reads the signs above the aisles rather than snaking his way through the entire store to find a single item.Newspapers, books, magazines … they’re all coming into focus for him.“I’m finally beginning to understand what this world is about,†Williams said, his eyes wide open.And along the way, he’s becoming a celebrity.On her show, DeGeneres handed him a check for $10,000. Williams whooped and hollered as tears welled up in his eyes. He said he hopes to use the money toward a new home, and DeGeneres implored her viewers to send contributions his way.The school is reaping benefits, too, as various sponsors through DeGeneres’ show promised the school 26 laptop computers and a $2,500 contribution to the library. Those donations are huge at Edison, where 86 percent of the students are on free or reduced-cost lunch programs.Meanwhile, letters and gift cards and contributions have been flowing into the school from all over the country, hundreds of them.“We have really been overwhelmed by the generosity,†school principal Jennifer Patterson said.And as for Williams, a link on DeGeneres’ site titled “We’re Gonna Help Alferd Williams Build a House!†had generated more than 360 comments as of Friday evening.“We can all learn from this gentle, loving, ageless man,†one person wrote. “Let’s all give what we can to help Alferd attain another dream!â€To Williams, it’s all been a bit exhausting. Fun, yes. But crazy, too.His life is simple, serene. He doesn’t aspire to move on academically but, instead, plans to be right back in Mrs. Hamilton’s first-grade classroom again next year.Right back in the corner, by his stack of books and the sign on the wall that serves as a lesson for kids age 7 to 70.“I think any one could read if they wented to,†the sign says. “By Alferd.â€http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/603170.html
He sounds like a real sweetheart and good with kids.His mother would be proud of him.
That's a great story!!! I hope he leaves a lasting impression on those kids.
