From the Army to the Bookshelf: How RT Torry Is Honoring His Mother's Legacy

After a distinguished military career, Lincoln alumnus RT Torry is carrying his mother’s lifelong commitment to education into a new generation through children’s books.

Before there was a book series, there was a teacher.

Ramon “RT” Torry’s life reads like a study in service. The 1986 Lincoln University graduate is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, a combat veteran and a Lincoln ROTC Hall of Fame inductee. But the project closest to his heart today is a children’s book series, Rebecca the Little Teacher, that he and his sister created to honor the woman who shaped it all: their mother, Rebecca, who spent more than 40 years in the classroom.

For Torry, the series is the latest chapter in a life built on the two values his mother championed most: education and service.

RT’s path to Lincoln was not direct. He started his college career at Langston University in Oklahoma, but when friends transferred to Lincoln, he followed, drawn to a state he knew well. He earned a double major in journalism and mass communication with a minor in military science through Army ROTC.

“Journalism taught me how to communicate with purpose,” he said, “while ROTC taught me discipline, accountability and servant leadership.”

He credits professor Mike White as the finest instructor he had in college. When transfer credits left Torry short of the courses he needed to graduate on time, White went to the dean to arrange a required class one-on-one. Torry aced it.

ROTC also opened a path he had not planned. Instructors noticed his leadership potential early and sent him to Ranger and Airborne schools before he had fully committed to the program.

Lincoln became a family affair. Torry’s brother, Joe Torry, also graduated from Lincoln, and their mother was a familiar presence on campus, showing up for her two Blue Tigers whenever she could.

Rebecca Torry, mother of Lincoln University alumnus Ramon “RT” Torry, spent more than 40 years as a teacher. Her career and commitment to education inspired the Rebecca the Little Teacher children’s book series.

That start launched a military career spanning more than 27 years. Torry commanded units in combat and peacetime, served in Desert Storm and deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, Germany, Korea and Japan. He retired as a lieutenant colonel with the Bronze Star Medal and the Legion of Merit. His service continued in civilian roles supporting the Department of Defense, NASA and now the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he works in education helping veterans and their families. Along the way, he earned an MBA.

One of his proudest moments came with his 2014 induction into the Lincoln University Army ROTC Hall of Fame. He could not attend in person; he was accepting the Army Community of Excellence Award for Best Regional Support Command in the U.S. and preparing to deploy, so his mother accepted the ROTC honor on his behalf. Rebecca spoke at the ceremony, thanking God for her children’s gifts and crediting the university directly. Lincoln “embraced it and pushed him forward,” she told the audience. “And that’s a blessing.”

For Torry, the honor meant a great deal. “I felt honored. I felt blessed,” he said. It means even more to him now because Rebecca embodied the values she had spent a lifetime teaching him: service, humility, compassion and perseverance.

The recognition also affirmed something Torry came to understand over his career. In rooms filled with graduates of schools like Harvard, Yale and West Point, he was often one of the few from a historically Black university, and he consistently held his own. Early on, he noticed that some people underestimated HBCUs; over the course of his career, he watched that skepticism give way to respect.

Rebecca Torry’s own teaching career took her from Monterey Peninsula College to public and Catholic schools in St. Louis. She spoke seven languages and measured success not by test scores but by the confidence she built in every child who entered her classroom.

Rebecca’s Big Heart is the first book in the Rebecca the Little Teacher children’s book series created by Lincoln University alumnus Ramon “RT” Torry and his sister, Malaika Torry.

After her passing, Torry and his sister, Malaika Torry, asked themselves a question: How do you keep a great teacher teaching after she is gone? Their answer became Rebecca the Little Teacher, a children’s literacy and character development brand inspired by their mother’s life, kicking off with their first title, Rebecca’s Big Heart, available now on Amazon. Written by Malaika and illustrated by RT, who draws on his communication background and artistic prowess, the book encourages children to read, ask questions, believe in themselves and practice kindness.

The initiative is already gaining momentum, with a Hallmark reading event and a Barnes & Noble collaboration in the works.

For Torry, the goal is simple.

“If even one child discovers the joy of reading because of these books, then we know we have honored our mother’s legacy in the best possible way.”