The Story of Barbara Larsen

The third annual Celebrate the Legacy of Door County Women program honors local women from throughout Door County who have made a difference in the community through their outstanding involvement and service.  An art display in the Link Gallery features a beautiful showcase of photograph of each of the 22 honored women, taken by well-known photographer Dan Anderson, as well as a  biography depicting their life, work, and experiences.  

The biographies were written by selected student writers from each of the high schools in the  county.  Each student conducted a personal interview with one of the honored women, or their close friends and family members, and wrote the biography based on their interpretation of the interview.   The Celebrate! exhibit is on display now through June 20.  The Link Gallery is located inside Door Community Auditorium, Hwy. 42, Fish Creek.  Gallery hours are 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday – Saturday, and one hour prior to any performance at the Auditorium.

By Lacey Mobley, Gibraltar Student

The story of Barbara Larsen’s life first unfolds in the small town of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin where she was the only child of Blanche and Walter Donohue. Growing up as an only child, Barbara soon learned how to entertain herself and today often wonders how anyone could ever be bored. In reminiscing on her childhood, Barbara also places much importance on the great impact that her loving family had on her. Her family was extremely close and she was extremely loved which left a great impression on her and her life. Not only was her loving family vital in her upbringing but also the weight and importance that was placed on reading. This caused Barbara, even at a young age, to develop a love and dedication to reading and writing that she would maintain her entire life.

The first school that Barbara attended was an urban school in Milwaukee, which she hated. Coming from a rural background, and as a only child, Barbara hated and resented school and it wasn’t until she moved to the small town of Menomonee Falls and changed schools that she felt comfortable and at home. In this rural community school, Barbara found comfort and happiness. While in school, Barbara participated in a variety of activities. She was always extremely interested in Drama and Forensics and was also her high school yearbook editor. Writing and reading also always remained important parts of her life.

In April of her senior year, Barbara’s father approached her about her plans for the following year; she had none. He decided that it would be a good thing for his daughter to enter college and they visited a few schools in their area and decided to drive up to Appleton to visit Lawrence University. After simply hearing her test scores and meeting her once, Barbara was admitted into the University by the Dean of Admissions. Tuition for one year was $1200. In contrast to the miles and miles of paperwork that we fill out today and the thousands and thousands of dollars we spend on tuition, Barbara was accepted in one afternoon and paid $1200 dollars in tuition. What a difference!

Barbara looks back on her youth as a time of innocence. In comparison to today, there were no dangers. It was an era that was void of drinking, smoking and drugs, and it was a time in which the depression and the war had rendered everyone on a level playing field. In discussing the stresses and pressures that are placed on a teenager today, life was much different for the teens of that era.

After meeting her husband George in college, the two were married and had two boys. Barbara taught music for two years and then spent her time raising her children. Five years after they were married, George became extremely ill with Polio and was hospitalized for 9 months. While he was in the hospital, Barbara taught his classes so that he would have a job to return to and he taught for another 34 years using crutches and a wheelchair. From this experience and from her husband, Barbara has learned to endure and to never let anything stop you. Later on Barbara became qualified in library science and was an elementary librarian which she liked much better than teaching music. After 15 years as a librarian, the couple retired to Door County and Barbara began to do even more of the things that she truly loved.

Poetry became a love and a huge occupation following her retirement, but she has also made time for a variety of other things, such as publishing four books of poetry, being published in a variety of magazines and anthologies, volunteering at local libraries, teaching poetry, creative writing and life history classes, and maintaining a title as Regional Vice-President for the Northeast area of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. Barbara regards her work with the WFOP as the most rewarding and satisfying because of the things that it is gotten her involved in such as the organization of the Northeast region and several fundraisers that they have done to fund poetry contests. Another accomplishment that Barbara is extremely proud of is winning the highly esteemed Wisconsin Regional Writers Association Jade Ring and the Bard’s Chair poetry prize in 1995. Barbara also emphasizes the fact that meeting an amazing amount of wonderful people in her life and career has also been extremely gratifying.

When Barbara spoke of not only her own poetry, but of all poetry, she stressed its importance to people’s lives and to our history. When all else in the world has been based on things other than truth, poetry has been a constant truth. The poet is able to connect with her audience in just the right way through just the right words and this in itself is the most gratifying part to Barbara, connecting with her reader.

“When I was six I made tea cakes in the sand pile beneath Grandma’s kitchen window and served them to my dolls. Now in my sixties, I make word cakes on the computer and serve them to you, my friends.”