About Margaret McNamara

Margaret Craig McNamara (August 22, 1915 – February 3, 1981) was the founder of the nonprofit children's literacy organization Reading is Fundamental and the wife of the United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

Life and work[edit]
McNamara was born on August 22, 1915 in Spokane, Washington, and grew up in Alameda, California.

McNamara attended University of California, Berkeley, where she met Robert McNamara, whom she would marry on August 13, 1940.Her husband's appointment by President John F. Kennedy as U.S. Secretary of Defense led to their move to Washington, D.C. Her experiences while tutoring three children in the District led to the formation of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), a nonprofit children's literacy organization dedicated to making reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. It is the largest literacy program in the country.