DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : RHEA PRUCE.Byline: - Andrea Hescheles After retiring as a secretary at what Rhea rhea, in zoology rhea (rē`ə), common name for a South American bird of the family Rheidae, which is related to the ostrich. Weighing from 44 to 55 lb (20–25 kg) and standing up to 60 in. Pruce calls ``the early age of 55,'' she wanted to return to teaching. So, she became a literacy tutor with the Library Adult Reading Project (LARP LARP Live Action Role Play (game) LARP LHC (Large Hadron Collider) Accelerator Research Program LARP United Republican Party of Latvia LARP Latin America Regional Program (Mexico) ) through the Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California. , where she provides individualized instruction Individualized instruction is a method of instruction in which content, instructional materials, instructional media, and pace of learning are based upon the abilities and interests of each individual learner. to adults in reading and writing skills. ``When a person's retired, they can do anything they want,'' Pruce said. ``I'm at a station in my life where I can do just about anything I want - and I do.'' Pruce is also president of Friends of the Northridge Library. ``I've been involved for 10 years. Our main function is to help the library with fund-raising. We sell books. We have three sales a year, and the proceeds go to buy books, videos, tapes and other expensive items for the library. We recently purchased a book alarm system.'' AGE: 70 RESIDENCE: Northridge BORN AND RAISED IN: Born and raised in Detroit; came to California in 1965. OCCUPATION: Retired in 1984 as secretary for the Department of Water and Power. MARITAL STATUS marital status, n the legal standing of a person in regard to his or her marriage state. : Married to Peter Pruce. CHILDREN: Janice, 47, of upstate New York Upstate New York is the region of New York State north of the core of the New York metropolitan area. It has a population of 7,121,911 out of New York State's total 18,976,457. Were it an independent state, it would be ranked 13th by population. ; Glori, 44, of Camarillo; and four grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. - Tracy, 24; Jennifer, 19; Matthew, 12; and Hannah, 9. VOLUNTEERISM: ``I volunteer with the Library Adult Reading Project (LARP) program through the library. I tutor adults in English, reading and writing and other things as they need.'' A dedicated volunteer, Pruce has tutored with LARP for 14 years. Presently, she tutors one student two times a week. ``With all of the other things I do, I can just about handle it.'' HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?: ``I saw an ad on TV once years ago. At that time, the coordinator was at the Granada Hills library. I was put on a waiting list, and in two weeks my name came up, and I've been tutoring adults ever since.'' WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER?: ``I enjoy it. I used to teach many years ago in a kindergarten program. Then I came to California as a single parent, and I got a job as a secretary at the Department of Water and Power. When I retired, I wanted to do something with my time, and I enjoy teaching. With volunteering, there's no monetary pay but the rewards are wonderful. It really boosts your self-esteem.'' BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: ``My biggest disappointment is when my student cannot come, when a problem comes up and she just can't come (to the tutoring session) that day.'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``My greatest accomplishment was teaching my first student how to read and write. She was 37 years old when I first started working with her. She had been here from Guatemala for 17 years. She was very proficient in English speaking. She worked for Blue Cross and typed everything she saw perfectly - yet couldn't read a word. We were matched up, and I worked with her for two years. By the time we were done, she was fluent in reading. She's one of my success stories.'' GOALS FOR THE FUTURE: ``Teaching more adults how to read and write.'' WHO RELIES ON YOU THE MOST AND WHO YOU RELY ON: ``My husband relies on me the most, and I rely on him the most.'' HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS ``By making other people happy. When I can teach someone to read and they get it, I look at their eyes, their eyes light up. ... You cannot imagine the feeling of glory.'' VALLEY HANGOUTS: ``I like to go to Mimi's for lunch or dinner; I enjoy having a nice cup of chicken soup chicken soup Chicken broth Folk medicine Jewish penicillin A fowl broth with a long tradition as a home remedy for URIs, which may be a nasal decongestant, inhibit growth of pneumococci in vitro, and stimulate immune responsiveness in WBCs Mainstream medicine A at Abe's Deli.'' FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: ``My favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. activities are tutoring adults, and, of course, vacationing. I also like to go to the Music Center with my husband and to the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheatre at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances. The "bowl" in this context is the natural cavity in the earth into which the amphitheater is built, rather than the shape of the in the summertime.'' HOBBIES: ``I like walking, working crossword puzzles crossword puzzle, word game in which words corresponding to numbered clues are put into a grid of horizontal and vertical squares to form intersecting words. The puzzle is solved when a player supplies all of the words correctly. in the newspaper, knitting and playing the piano.'' WHAT WOULD BE A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU?: ``To have everything go the way I want it to. To have a planned time for my student, to meet my husband for lunch and come home, relax and have a nice dinner.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Rhea Pruce David Sprague/Daily News |
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