Billie Jo Askew

She was born in Franklin, Louisiana on August 18, 1942 and was the only child of William (Dale) & Josephine Askew. Her academic degrees included a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Spanish from Baylor University; a Master of Arts in Reading from the University of Arizona; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Reading and Public School Administration from Texas Woman’s University.

Her professional life began as an elementary teacher in public schools. In 1969 she came to Richardson Independent School District as a classroom teacher and after several supervisory roles, she served in Administration as RISD Director of English/Language Arts.

The trajectory of Billie’s career changed after meeting Dr. Marie Clay from Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Clay was the creator of an innovative approach to an early intervention for struggling first grade readers called Reading Recovery. In 1988, Billie studied for one year at Ohio State University, becoming a Reading Recovery Trainer and returned to Richardson to implement the first Teacher Class in the state of Texas. When Texas Woman’s University became a Teacher Leader training site, Billie joined the faculty at TWU as a Professor of Reading and Director of the Reading Recovery Center. Under her leadership, Descubriendo La Lectura (Reading Recovery in Spanish) was established and TWU built school-university partnerships with school districts worldwide.

Billie devoted much of her scholarly life to the study and support of Reading Recovery. Her published scholarship continues to be highly relevant and a key contribution to current discussions in areas of teacher training, school implementation, and literacy development.

She was highly respected for her integrity, her commitment, and her wisdom. As a result, Billie was elected to key leadership positions both nationally (President, Reading Recovery Council of North America) and internationally (U.S. Representative, International Reading Recovery Trainers Organization). An inspiring speaker, Billie was called on often to keynote Reading Recovery conferences within and beyond the U.S. She was invited repeatedly to serve as consultant to Reading Recovery sites around the world, traveling to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as across the U.S. to offer advice and support.

Billie was named Cornaro Professor, the highest award a TWU faculty member can receive. The Reading Recovery and K-6 Literacy Institute that she established was named in her honor. Billie continued to work even after retiring. She was the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. Her last collaboration, a work in progress, was working on a new set of assessment passages for Reading Recovery.

Since 2011, Billie had been a resident in independent living at Highland Springs Senior Living, where she contributed to making her community a better place by serving as President of the Resident Advisory Council, Secretary of Government Affairs and Chair of the Task Force on Assisted Living.

She was a member of Custer Road United Methodist Church where her Celebration of Life Service will be held.

Billie is survived by several cousins, and innumerable friends and colleagues who considered her family. She will be remembered for her substantial contributions to children’s literacy and teacher education but most of all, Billie was known for the joy of her company and that easy infectious laugh that brightened one’s soul.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Billie J. Askew Endowment to Support Reading Recovery at Texas Woman’s University, PO Box 425618, Denton, TX 76204-56188 or contact Patrice Frisby, Director of Development- Major Gifts for online giving information.