Robert and Roberta Barr’s generosity continues to support and inspire today
| Roberta Barr at Old Fort Lewis |
With its $1.4 million gift to Fort Lewis College’s Teacher Education program, the Robert M. Barr & Roberta Armstrong Barr Foundation adds another chapter to the lives of two extraordinary people.
“Mrs. Barr was very determined to give back and change lives,” says Will Camp, coordinator of field experiences for the FLC Teacher Education program. “Her first hope was that we would be able to identify folks who, without the money, without the encouragement of a gift, might drift away from teaching. She'd had a similar experience: she almost didn't make it and someone gave her a gift… and so she stayed in school.”
The term “pillars of the community” is sometimes overused, but in Robert and Roberta’s case, it is justified. The two lived, worked and served this area nearly their entire lives. Robert worked the land as a rancher, farmer and beekeeper. Roberta’s passion was education and giving the young people she worked with every opportunity to succeed.
Mrs. Barr’s ties to Fort Lewis College run back to the days when the College was located at the Old Fort Lewis site in Hesperus, Colorado. She studied at both Fort Lewis and Western State Colorado University.
She grew up in the Animas Valley, attending a one-room schoolhouse in Hermosa before graduating from Durango High School in 1931. After attending school in Gunnison, she returned to this area to begin her career teaching on the Florida Mesa. She would eventually become principal of the Park and Mason elementary schools.
She and her husband created the Robert M. Barr & Roberta Armstrong Barr Foundation, and their generosity has supported many organizations in the Durango area and beyond. Over the years, the foundation has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Fort Lewis College to support teachers. That money has helped many students earn their degrees.
Both Robert and Roberta have passed away, but with this latest gift, the Barr’s legacy will continue to support and inspire teachers for generations to come.