University donor Barber dies at 88
Observer Staff Report
Notre Dame donor Gertrude Barber died on her way to a two-week Florida vacation Saturday night.
"We loved her very much and are deeply saddened,'' nephew John Barber told reporters. "She died when she was at the height of her power and the top of her game. She was a natural leader. She really thought that nothing was impossible. She had a tremendous amount of faith and was able to instill that faith in those who worked for her.''
At the age of 88, Barber suffered from a heart attack at a West Virginia hospital.
Barber, who has been called "the patron saint of special education," taught special education for many years.
Internationally recognized for her work with the developmentally disabled, Barber was very influential in the Erie, Penn. area where the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber Center was formed to support Barber's efforts.
The Barber Center has established group homes and programs about autism. Barber also had a program in the works called Project 2000 to promote education, research and services for the disabled.
Barber was also involved in several national, state and local legislative projects to protect the rights of the mentally disabled.
"All these laws were created from people like her going to the government and saying that this child with mental retardation deserves an education just like everyone else," said Robert Will, financial officer of the Barber Center, to reporters.
Barber received many honors from world leaders including Pope John Paul II and President John F. Kennedy.
In 1981, Barber was in attendance when President George Bush signed to make the American with Disabilities Act into a law. Under Kennedy, Barber served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Children and Youth and as a member of his task on mental retardation.
All News Stories for Wednesday, May 3, 2000
