Creating a better future through literacy
June 1, 2015Al Gorsky
When Al and Loretta Gorsky’s six children were growing up, family dinner meant it was time to report.
“We would go down the line,” recalled Al, a retired two-star general with the Army Reserve. “We talked about what they had learned that day.”
The value Al and Loretta placed on education, in addition to the habit of these daily school reports, was inherited from their parents whose families emigrated from Croatia and Russia. As immigrants, they believed education, especially learning to read, was vital to a person’s ability to succeed in a new country and in life.
Loretta took these lessons to heart, working as a reading mentor and teacher’s aide in local schools. “She was very interested in making sure children read,” said Al. “She made sure all of our kids could read before they started school.”
After Loretta passed away, Al and his children established the Loretta Gorsky Memorial Fund for Fremont Area District Library. The fund helps purchase new children’s books and ensures that Loretta’s love of reading will be carried on.
“We want the library to have fresh books for kids all the time,” said Al. “The most important thing is that these youngsters have opportunities to read.”
