About Dr. Gertrude Agnes Barber:
Dr. Gertrude Agnes Barber was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on September 16, 1911. After the death of her father during the 1918 flu pandemic, her eldest brother left school to support the family, ensuring his siblings could continue their education. His a sacrifice that had profound impact on Gertrude’s lifelong advocacy of education.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and began her career as a teacher in the Erie School District in 1931. She continued her education, earning a master’s and doctoral degree in education, becoming a school psychologist and administrator. Her work with children with special needs profoundly impacted her and in 1952 she opened her first class for children with intellectual disabilities. Dr. Gertrude Barber was faced with the difficult task of telling parents that there was no place for their children with disabilities. These children would either have to be educated at home or sent to a distant institution to live.
Believing that this was not the best way to handle this situation, Dr. Barber worked with families to provide an education for children with disabilities. She borrowed a room from the local YMCA to begin the first class for students with intellectual disabilities.
Dr. Barber’s mission expanded throughout her career, opening the first home for children with disabilities in 1958. In 1971, she left the Erie School District to lead an organization serving individuals of all ages, providing care for children from 24 area school districts, adult training and job placement services, group homes and recreational programs, a retirement center for adults in their senior years, and mental health support services.
Dr. Barber passed away on April 29, 2000, leaving a legacy in the Barber National Institute, which provides services to thousands of children and adults with autism, intellectual, and physical disabilities and behavioral health challenges and their families across Pennsylvania.
Cause for the beatification and canonization of Servant of God Dr. Gertrude A. Barber:
The cause of beatification and canonization of the Servant of God Dr. Gertrude A. Barber was formally opened by Bishop Lawrence T. Persico of Erie in December 2019. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, when members of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) voted to advance her cause for sainthood, giving her the title Servant of God.
Note: A person is proclaimed a “Servant of God” when the Catholic Church officially opens a cause for their canonization, which is the first step in the process of potentially being declared a saint. This is usually after a person’s death and when there is a reputation for holiness and virtue among the faithful that warrants investigation into their life and works.
Over the next 70 years, the organization founded by Dr. Barber has served children and adults in need because of the support of so many generous donors and friends.
Click here for the official website of The Barber National Institute
Traveling to Calvary Cemetery and the grave of Doctor Gertrude A. Barber in Erie, Pennsylvana:
Address: 429 East Grandview Blvd. Erie, PA 16504.