Gertrude Barber named Erie’s woman of the century
Originally published Aug. 16, 2020
In the past 100 years of women’s suffrage, Erie has been guided, nudged and in some cases dragged into progress by countless women who refused to accept the status quo.
And while dozens of women may be worthy of honoring, this was never more true of anyone than Gertrude A. Barber, founder of what is now the Barber National Institute, who would devote 37 years of her life to the Erie School District, serving as its first female administrator and earning the first doctorate of education in the city.
If Erie were to choose a Woman of the Century, 1920-2020, the century of women’s suffrage, it’s hard to argue that she could be anyone else.
Some of Gertrude Barber’s accolades are listed here, including her candidacy for sainthood, but her real legacy, according to her niece and nephew who continue her work, is intangible.
“She helped to set in motion a sea change in society's attitude toward persons who are different with intellectual disabilities,” said John Barber, CEO of the Barber National Institute. “The prevailing wisdom, if you had an intellectual disability, you should be locked away from ordinary people. Put somewhere where no one has to see you or look at you.
“By the time she was finished we had the same people living in the same neighborhoods where they were born, with their brothers and sisters, working in the same jobs, shopping, going to church.”
Maureen Barber-Carey, executive vice president of the institute, said Gertrude Barber changed the lives of countless women: the mothers of those children, and the women who came to work at her side.
“She was a woman who inspired and helped other women with any educational background, expertise and skills,” Barber-Carey said. “Through her work, she inspired hundreds of men and women to enter the field” of working with the disabled.
John Barber said he grew up thinking he was her favorite nephew, but in adulthood learned that was not uncommon.
“She talked to me one time about something she asked me to do,” he said. “I told her ’I don't think I can do that.’ She said. ’Yes you can.’”
“She really gave me the confidence to do things and be the person I am today. She had that effect on people.”
“She saw herself as a mentor,” Barber-Carey said. “She always took the time and the effort with a broad spectrum of people.”
Barber-Carey said Gertrude Barber enriched not just Erie, but the world.
“Erie and the Barber Center became a model for programs ... in India, China and Thailand,” she said. “Countless people live better lives because of what she accomplished.”
Barber-Carey said Gertrude Barber, who had no children of her own, was motivated by a deep Catholic faith.
“I think she truly believed every child should have the opportunity to be the best they could possibly be,” Barber-Carey said. “She advocated and was driven by that. That and her faith and true belief that everybody is one of God's children.”
Contact Jennie Geisler at jgeisler@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNgeisler.
Sainthood?, and more online:
The Catholic Diocese of Erie is leading a candidacy of Gertrude Barber for sainthood. Read the supporting background at www.drbarber.org.
Monsignor Thomas McSweeney, a retired priest serving as the diocesan point person, known as a “postulator,” for conducting the formal inquiry, said the process, already a long one, has been further delayed by the coronavirus.
"The pandemic restrictions have precluded our interview sessions with individuals who had been scheduled to meet with the postulator and religious officials and provide personal testimony concerning Gertrude Barber’s life and mission,“ he said.
However, McSweeney added, interest in Barber’s candidacy remains high.
“Since the process officially began in December, the Association for the Cause has been responding to media requests for additional information about the canonization process and has also maintained a useful presence to the public via the website,” he said. “Requests for information have been received from countries such as Poland, England and the Philippines."
Named assistant superintendent, the first female administrator in the Erie School District.
Started what would become the Barber Center in a free classroom in the YWCA in 1952. Today, the Barber National Institute serves more than 7,300 people annually and employs 3,100 staff.
Earned a doctorate in education from Penn State, Erie’s first such degree, in 1956.
Was named to President John F. Kennedy’s National Task Force on Mental Retardation in 1960.
Named one of 12 members of the Pennsylvania MH/MR Advisory Board in 1981.
Participated in the writing and implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990 and signed by President George H.W. Bush.
Was an Olympic Relay Torchbearer – XXVI Olympiad in 1996
Was named to the first class of Erie’s Hall of Fame in 2008.
For more, visit www.drbarber.org/dr-barbers-life
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Gertrude Barber named Erie's woman of the century
