Wiston Papers

A tribute to Barbara Mack

Beth and I have lost a marvelous friend.  And all of us who knew her are diminished by her passing this morning.

I often entertain cynical thoughts about our leaders’ decisions and their questionable actions.  But from today forward I’ll pause and  think of Barbara.  Then I will once again have faith in how good someone can be and how much that person can improve the lives of everyone she meets.  That was Barbara

What a truly wonderful person she was.  She was remarkably intelligent, amazingly compassionate, overflowing with enthusiasm, and wittingly irreverent when appropriate. You fell in love with Barbara only moments after meeting her.

I have known many great teachers in my lifetime.  Barbara tops the list in so many ways.  She loved her students more than anyone I have seen in the classroom.  She was equally supportive when counseling her advisees outside of class…often going to extraordinary lengths to encourage them, support them and instill confidence in their abilities to excel both professionally and personally.  Barbara was equally inspirational with her colleagues in the Greenlee School…dispensing wisdom and sharing her good nature with any of us who wisely chose to visit her when we needed a lift.

When we think of Barbara the one word that always comes to mind is love.  She loved her students, she loved journalism, she loved expertly crafted language and brilliant storytelling.  She loved the law and how it supports our democracy.  She loved to tackle difficult challenges and always conquered them. 

And in turn, we loved Barbara.  

http://www.jlmc.iastate.edu/

Steve Coon

August 23, 2012