Dr. Gertrude A. Barber
$1,ooo,ooo Challenge

If there would be one shining example of Dr. Barber's impact upon my life, it would revolve around her belief that I had value. She would motivate me to be better by treating me as a needed member of the service team.
I once wrote her a short thank you letter regarding compensation, and figured I'd be lucky if she actually got to read it, considering her agendas. She stopped me in the hall & personally expressed her gratitude for what I said. So I've learned that many moments, however subtle, were enough to make getting up in the morning worthwhile.

Dr. Gertrude A. Barber was the most amazing professional woman I have ever had the opportunity to work with. She was the type of leader who challenged me—from the time that I began as an intern throughout my tenure as an employee—to always reach beyond what is expected to what is possible. Dr. Barber was always 5 to 10 years ahead of the current trends and knew before anyone else did what we should be developing in order to best meet the needs of the individuals and their families long before it was regulated or considered best practice. Even to this day, I recall her words saying, “We should....” Now, ten years after her passing, these are things that we are indeed doing or planning for.

Dr. Barber was a role model, mentor and also just a wonderful friend. I am blessed to have had the wonderful good fortune of working with her as she has shaped my life and my profession.

Thoughts of Dr. Barber bring to mind so many memories full of moments of faith, hope and love and so much leadership and kindness. It is hard to reflect on one particular incident that captures the true spirit of the woman. I chose this one because it was so prominent in the lives of my wife, Gayle, my daughter Noelle and I. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a day filled with fear, anxiety and confusion when the physicians at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh told my wife and me that our daughter had a rare metabolic disease that would, more than likely, progress to her death. They told us about what we could expect and how our lives would be difficult. I telephoned Dr. Barber to let her know what they were telling us and to look for some advice. She calmly reassured me that our daughter was alive and needed some specialized care. Her words helped us to know what to do and how to proceed. In typical fashion, Dr. Barber fortified and mobilized her troops and soon we were receiving support and reassurance through many of our friends and co-workers in Erie. She spoke with Dr. Joseph Barber, our pediatrician, and soon we had direction and guidance about how to proceed in providing our daughter a full and loving life for over 11 years.

To provide persons with a guiding light and realistic hope was monumental in our life. For parents of a child with a disability, it can be a lonely and empty world at times and Dr. Barber had a way to turn it all around. She offered so much support and so much help that we soon began to realize our daughter had a place in the world and in the Barber Center Family. She always remembered our daughter and always remembered my wife and me. It is hard to imagine what our lives would have been like without her. She gave us faith, hope and so much love and we will always envision our daughter Noelle standing beside Dr. Barber and holding hands from above. Thank you Dr. Barber and Happy 100th Birthday.