The Mayor of Moultrie Avenue: The Literacy Journey of an Unlikely Pair

When long-time reporter Carl Walworth volunteers for a local literacy program, he never imagines his weekly lesson with Eldo Ealy will turn into a twenty-four-year friendship. Nor does he anticipate what he learns in return: innovation, endurance, and the art of giving. Questioning assumptions and putting a human face on nonreaders, The Mayor of Moultrie Avenue explores education, health care, and poverty alongside the changing face of blue-collar work, newspaper publishing, and small-town America.

Carl Walworth worked for thirty-one years as a reporter, editor, and later publisher in both the daily and weekly newspaper businesses. Walworth has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University. He lives with his wife, Kathie, in Mattoon, Illinois, the current home base for his work as a freelance writer.