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Barbara Weeks Shettler ’50

April 12, 2019, in Portland.

Barbara came to Reed upon graduating from Portland’s Grant High School. She would long carry fond memories of the beautiful, well-used interior of the old library, where she wrote her thesis, “The Historical and Theoretical Background of the Junior College with Implications for the State of Oregon,” with Prof. Harold Bernard [education 1947–50] advising. Barbara learned to folk dance and waltz in the old SU.

“The Reed experience probably helped give me the courage to take on leadership positions in almost all my activities,” she said, “and it taught me to study and analyze more effectively.”

After graduating, she taught in an elementary school in Portland. She met her husband, Richard, at a young adults gathering at First Presbyterian Church. They moved to Orange County in Southern California until the smog and soaring population got to them. After her children were raised, Barbara earned a master’s degree in special education at Portland State University and managed a resource room for learning-disabled students for eight years.

Barbara delighted in being a Reedie and devoted many hours supporting the college and outreach projects.  She served on the Foster-Scholz steering committee, chairing it for two years, and received the Distinguished Service Award in 2013. She also served on the National Alumni Board,

Barbara enjoyed folk dancing, opera, international travel via Elderhostel, and trips to the Oregon coast with friends and family. She is survived by her husband, Richard; her sons, Larry and Cliff; and her daughter, Linda Humphreys.

Appeared in Reed magazine: December 2019

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