03/03/2026
Happy Womens History Month
Barbara was always a curious kid. Lucky for her, that curiosity never went away. After 55 years as a full-time nurse and part- time taxi driver, she was ready for a new adventure.
She wanted to visit all the places she'd never had the time or money to see before. Did she start out with a quiet trip to a sunny beach? Not Barbara! She booked herself a trip to Canada in the middle of winter.
There, she photographed humongous polar bears and learned how to dogsled across frozen fields. Loving the snowy landscape, she decided to become the first Black woman to reach the North Pole.
To prepare, Barbara collected fleece clothes, took lots of vitamins, ran miles on the treadmill, and pumped iron at the gym. She took skiing lessons and raised money for supplies. Then she hired guides to help her across the ever-shifting ice floes.
Barbara took two bumpy helicopter rides to get close to the North Pole. The gear she carried was heavy, and the journey was longer and colder than any she'd made before. And because of a cancer surgery she'd had a few years before, her lungs weren't the best. But she didn't let that stop her. Seventy-five-year-old Barbara skied the rest of the way.
When she reached the North Pole, she jumped up and down and screamed into the frosty air. She'd made it to the top of the world!
And she wasn't done yet. Right before her 80th birthday, Barbara trekked to the South Pole. Her adventurous spirit took her all over the world, and she loved every minute of it!
JUNE 12, 1931-NOVEMBER 23, 2019
