Cora Wilson Stewart

Born in 1875, Cora Wilson Stewart was an American teacher, school administrator, and education reformer whose name is closely tied to the fight against adult illiteracy in the United States. She led schools in Rowan County, Kentucky, and gained wide attention for creating the Moonlight Schools, evening classes designed for adults who wanted to learn to read and write.

The idea was practical and welcoming: lessons were scheduled after work, and the teaching focused on everyday life rather than formal academic ceremony. What began in Kentucky spread far beyond the region and helped shape public thinking about adult education at a time when many people had been ignored by the school system.

Stewart lived until 1958, and her legacy remains important in the history of literacy work in America. She is remembered not only as an organizer and educator, but as someone who treated education as a door that should be open to everyone.