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Helen Beatrice Hurd Barnard ’34

Helen Beatrice Hurd Barnard ’34, October 8, 2003, in Maryland, after a short bout with cancer. After earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Reed, Helen went on to earn an AM in American history at Radcliffe in 1937. Following that, she completed all credentials, with the exception of a dissertation, for a PhD from the American University in Washington, D.C. Prior to her marriage to Robert C. Barnard ’35 in 1939, she taught at the Putney School in Vermont, and after marriage, at the Madeira School in Virginia. In 1949, the couple moved to Paris, where Robert opened an international office for his D.C. law firm and Helen worked as an office manager. They returned to the U.S., living in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and raised a son and daughter. Helen was a cathedral aid volunteer for the Washington National Cathedral from 1967 to 1982. Supplied by her lifelong reading habit, she became an expert in gothic architecture and stained glass, and maintained a keen interest in American history. She is survived by her children and two grandchildren. Robert predeceased her.

Appeared in Reed magazine: August 2004

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