James Clogston

James Clogston is a key support in every facet of the literacy council since he became a certified tutor of adult literacy in October 1992. Because he is so versatile, he is willing and able to undertake any responsibility that needs attention.

As a literacy tutor, Jim has worked, over the past thirteen years, with 32 adults ranging in age from 18 through 73 for a total of over 3,000 hours. He has tutored some who never went beyond the third grade and college graduates for whom English was not their native language. A serious medical problem caused a three-month interruption in Jim’s service in 1999-2000. As soon as he recovered, he was back with the same enthusiasm and vigor which always characterized Jim’s activities.

Jim became a tutor-trainer in 1994 and has participated in 51, 10-hour tutoring-training workshops since that year. In addition to numerous workshops here in Montgomery, he has helped conduct workshops in Wilson Chapel, Clanton and Troy for faith-based groups in those communities. He also helped train inmate tutors in Tuwiler, Easterling, Draper, Kilby, Bullock County Correctional and Elmore County Correctional Facilities. As recently as February 2007, Jim helped with a workshop at Stanton Correctional Facility because the trainer scheduled to present was called out of state for a medical emergency.

As a supervising tutor-trainer, Jim has mentored two tutors through the completion of the Laubach certification process as tutor trainers.

Jim served six years on the C.A.L.L. board of directors. Four of those years he chaired the Tutor Training Committee. With tutor mentor, Sister Joan Opatts, Jim revised the presentations for the tutor training workshop cutting the workshop from 12 to 10 hours. He was instrumental in procuring professional duplication of the video segments of the workshop through his contacts at Maxwell Air Force Base. It was, likewise, through Jim’s efforts that the tutor-training workshop traveled around Montgomery to Frazer, Eastmont Baptist, Cloverdale Baptist, and Redeemer Lutheran. When Sister Joan retired in 2003, it was Jim who became the mainstay of the training committee, overseeing the tutor training workshops until the trainers felt comfortable carrying on independently.

Jim Clogston volunteered as a teaching assistant for GED prep at J. P. Patterson Tech 1997-1999 and in the same capacity at Trenholm Tech 2000-2002. He has also served in the Retiree Activities Office at Maxwell AFB in 2003.

For thirteen years, Jim Clogston has served the C.A.L.L. Council as tutor, tutor-trainer, supervising tutor-trainer, board member, training committee chair, friend to student, tutor, and staff and ambassador of good will to other adult education instructors and administrators.