Elizabeth Mooney Kirk (known by many as Betty) spent her entire life advancing adult literacy. She worked with Frank Laubach

Frank Laubach

Frank Charles Laubach was an Evangelical Christian missionary and mystic known as "The Apostle to the Illiterates." In 1935, while working at a remote location in the Philippines, he developed the "Each One Teach One" literacy program. It has been used to teach about 60 million people to read in...

 using his "Each One Teach One" reading method. She traveled and taught in India, Africa and the United States. While working in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

, she provided the financial support for Barack Obama, Sr.

Barack Obama, Sr.

Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of U.S. President Barack Obama. He is a central subject in his son's memoir, Dreams from My Father.-Early life:...

 to come to the United States to study.

Kirk co-authored many books with Dr. Frank Laubach and son Dr. Robert Laubach, which are still in use for teaching adults to read English. In this role, her work included running a mission boarding school

Boarding school

A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...

 in India and for two years she was head of a project for the British Government in Kenya training teachers and adults to read in some of the tribal languages.

Kirk often helped find sponsorships for promising Kenyan students to study in the United States. An article by Michael Dobbs in The Washington Post

The Washington Post

The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

 states that Kirk provided most of the financial support during Obama Sr's early years in the United States, according to the Tom Mboya

Tom Mboya

Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya was a prominent Kenyan politician during Jomo Kenyatta's government. He was founder of the Nairobi People's Congress Party, a key figure in the formation of the Kenya African National Union , and the Minister of Economic Planning and Development at the time of his death...

 archives at Stanford University

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

. Kirk is also mentioned in Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

's 1995 book, Dreams from My Father

Dreams from My Father

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a memoir by United States President Barack Obama. It was first published in July 1995 as he was preparing to launch his political career, five years after being elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in...

 (pg 427 hardcover) as writing college recommendation letters for Obama Sr.

Kirk's grandfather was Addison Clark

Addison Clark

Addison Clark was a co-founder and the first president of Texas Christian University .-References:...

 who, with his brother, founded the Addran Male and Female Academy which became Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...

. She earned master's degrees from George Washington University

George Washington University

The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...

 and Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

. In 1960, she married Elmer LeValley Kirk. They lived for a time in West Africa before moving to California. Kirk taught school in the Oakland area for many years before retiring to central California.

Sources

• San Luis Obispo Tribune 7/8/2004, Elizabeth Mooney Kirk Obituary
• Washington Post 3/30/2008. "Obama Overstates Kennedy's Role in Helping His Father" Michael Dobbs.