R-LOU BARKER
Dec. 18, 1933 - April 21, 2018
A grand dame of the Springfield community passed from our lives this April. This woman had been a special friend to me for 30 years, sharing her joyful stories and her quiet wisdom. I was so fortunate to have been one of the many beneficiaries of her spirit. R-Lou Barker touched so many of us during her lifetime.
R-Lou married Morton “Mort” Barker and moved to Springfield in 1953. She soon enrolled in a rigorous two-month course to become a Girl Scout Brownie leader. (Gasoline rationing during the Depression had kept her from scouting when young.) R-Lou became the vice-president of the Land of Lincoln Girl Scout board and continued in the program through the birth of her five children. They were all boys.
Enrolling in Sangamon State University, R-Lou explored the history of her Springfield home. She became especially interested in the local Shepherd family. Her sister had married into the family and an ancestor’s diary was found. With the family farm having been acquired by SSU in 1970, R-Lou began promoting preservation of the house. She wrote to SSU President Robert Spencer in 1976, “I feel strongly that several meaningful pieces of local history are available for the reaching . . . The contrast of original buildings to modern structures on campus are valuable aesthetic and learning assets.” More than 30 years later, the University of Illinois Springfield, successor to SSU, allowed the Elijah Iles House Foundation to restore that family home. Now known as the Strawbridge- Shepherd House, it is occupied by the Illinois State Historical Society. R-Lou was ecstatic. At Christmastime each year she would make a pilgrimage to the house to hang a wreath on the front door.
R-Lou became a vital member of many organizations. She was an officer or director of Daughters of the American Revolution, the Abraham Lincoln Association, the Springfield Historic Sites Commission, the Springfield Art Association and the Vachel Lindsay Association. As an Iles House volunteer, R-Lou donned long skirts and layers of shawls to greet Christmastime guests at the front door. In 2007 the Barker family donated to the Dana-Thomas house artifacts from the Susan Lawrence Dana collection that had been purchased during the estate sale in 1943.
None of us will forget R-Lou’s dedication to the Illinois State Museum, serving for many years on both its Museum Board and Society Board. Former Museum Director Bonnie Styles writes, “R-Lou’s strength and leadership . . . were inspirational and fundamentally important to the museum. I have so many fond memories of her encouragement, generosity, sense of adventure and wonderful sense of humor. She was a mentor to me and many other members of the staff.”
R-Lou was inquisitive, eager to learn about a great many things. She traveled widely learning about foreign cultures, histories and nature. She read books, attended lectures, and probed matters with the experts. Former museum director Michael Wiant recalls, “One of the many engaging qualities of R-Lou was her view of the world, which was unusual because she had visited every continent. I was privileged to have many opportunities to be in R-Lou’s company when she would relate a travel anecdote, elevate it with anthropological inquisitiveness, and simply see the world with undying wonder.”
Her adventuresome spirit and good humor were never better tested than during a canoe trip a few years ago. R-Lou was the successful bidder for an exclusive canoe trip in the Sanganois Conservation Area. The day was lovely, bright and clear. R-Lou and her several guests set out to explore the area’s unique backwater environment. It wasn’t long until they noticed some turbulence in the water, then a splash from a fish jumping nearby. Then more splashing, more fish jumping higher and close-by. Fish the size of small sharks, dorsal fins rising above the water, charged at the canoes. One jumped in. Paddles were raised to fend off the attackers. Plainly, much was learned that day about Asian carp that had invaded waterways throughout the state. R-Lou added that story to her repertoire, as typical, finding its value and humor.
Sue Massie is an owner of MassieMassie+Associates, landscape architects and planners. She is active in community organizations and especially interested in preserving historic Springfield.