Laubach, Frank

Laubach, Frank (Charles)

(1884–1970) missionary, pioneer educator; born in Benton, Pa. A Protestant missionary sent to evangelize the Moro tribespeople of the Philippines (1915–36), he began to combat illiteracy by devising his own system of phonetic symbols and pictures and by promoting his motto, "Each one teach one." As he and his work became known, he was invited by governments to introduce his methods in various countries of Southern Asia, Latin America, and India (where he overcame the initial skepticism of Mohandas Gandhi). In addition to over 200 texts in some 165 languages, he wrote India Shall be Literate (1940), Teaching the World to Read (1948), and other books.