SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel University will present a nationally known educator, businessman and award-winning author of children’s books, Carl Sommer, on Monday, March 20, 2017 at 10 a.m.
He will speak in the chapel at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary on the north corner of Evangel’s campus, at Division and Glenstone. His presentation is free and open to the public.
Sommer was honored as the Central Bible College “Distinguished Alumnus of the Year” in 2011. He attended Evangel’s sister-college in 1959, before pursuing a degree in education in New York.
A former marine, New York City high school teacher and a multi-talented businessman, Sommer is the founder and president of several businesses, including Advance Publishing, Inc., and Reliable EDM, a precision machining company that is the largest of its kind in North America.
The machining business is located in Houston, Texas, and serves clients such as NASA, Boeing, ExxonMobile, GE and Dow Chemical.
Advance Publishing’s mission statement reveals the entrepreneur’s ongoing passion and purpose: “Providing exciting and inspiring character-building resources that train and motivate children with positive virtues and life skills, which enable them to live successful lives, and results in stronger families, better schools, and a safer and more productive society.”
As the author of 42 character-building children’s books, Sommer has appeared nationally on numerous radio and TV programs, including the Oprah Winfrey Show.
“Carl will be speaking on entrepreneurship and God’s word,” said Doug Jenkins, director of CBC alumni relations at Evangel. “He believes that his businesses and books have been blessed because of the Biblical principles he has used as a guide.”
A life of teaching values
According to his official bio, Sommer has a passion for communicating values and practical learning skills to children.
At age 40, he became a New York City public high school teacher, then became an assistant dean of boys in a high school with 3,600 pupils, where he counseled students and parents.
As Sommer taught, he witnessed firsthand the many deficiencies of the educational system which prompted his investigative journey. His research led him to work as a substitute teacher at every grade level in twenty-seven different schools in all of the boroughs of New York City. Identifying the problems and needs of America’s students, he proceeded to craft solutions.
His exhaustive ten-year study, including a one-year leave of absence from teaching, led to his first book — Schools in Crisis: Training for Success or Failure? (free at his website). This book has been heartily endorsed by teachers, university professors and prominent educators around the country.
Following his passion, Sommer’s works include the award-winning “Sommer-Time Story” series of 24 motivational children’s books, read-alongs and DVD videos that impart positive character traits and principles for success in children.
Some of these books have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Afrikaans, and Korean. The Sommer-Time Adventure DVDs in which Sommer reads the books and teaches character-building lessons are currently being shown around the world on either cable or streaming video.
In addition, Sommer has written or produced:
• Twelve Quest for Success character-building graphic novels for upper elementary students and reluctant readers in junior and senior high school.
• Character Under Attack and What You Can Do About It (free at his website)
• Teen Success for Career and Life Skills: If You Don’t Want the Truth Don’t Read This!
Sommer has been working on three large projects for reading, writing and math
• Phonics Adventure — a motivational phonics literature-based reading program for kindergarten through grade two consisting of textbooks and readers; kindergarten alone has 40 readers.
• Reading Success — is an adult reading program that combines intensive phonics with action-packed stories.
• Number Success — a free video practical mathematics series for children to adults, from addition to trigonometry, supplemented by workbooks and over 550 videos.
He has also produced technical books and a free video series related to the precision machining industry:
• Wire EDM Handbook and Complete EDM Handbook, coauthored with his son, Steve
• Non-Traditional Machining Handbook, a 432-page book describing all of the non-traditional machining methods currently available
For more information on the lecture, contact Doug Jenkins at (417) 865-2811, ext. 7542.
###