Santa Fe Living Treasures – Elder Stories

"Barby is as solid as her history is rich. She is an example of how to live life to the fullest, how to meet adversity with strength and a positive attitude. I have never heard a negative or discouraged word from her. Barby is tenacious, hopeful, heart-affirming."

"She is absolutely fascinated by the lives of others--calling, writing and getting together with a great variety of people. At 86 she has an amazing memory for 'who's who' in the community and the world, and she continually shares her ideas with other people."

The accolades go on and on, but space grows limited. For the record, these are some of the things Barbara has done: led a Cub Scout troop, been membership chairman of her church, raised a special-needs son and other children, read aloud to the visually impaired, served on the Living Treasures committee, volunteered for many causes, worked for government and St. John's College.

And in her spare time, she worked for many years on a memoir about her pioneering family and their ranch near Ramah, N.M. Then after Bailing Wire and Gamuza was published in 2003, it won five separate awards, including Southwest Book of the Year.

Story by Richard McCord