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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe life of a remarkable woman
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/us/barbara-hillary-dead.htmlHere is a life well lived:
Barbara Hillary, the first black woman on record to reach the North Pole, which she did at the age of 75, and the first to reach the South Pole, at the age of 79, died on Saturday in a hospital in Far Rockaway, Queens. She was 88. Her death was announced on her website. A post on her Twitter account said her health had been declining in recent months. She had breast cancer in her 20s and lung cancer in her 60s.
It was not until 1986 that any woman had reached the top of the world, with Ann Bancroft, a physical education teacher and explorer from Minnesota, becoming the first. The first black man there was Matthew Henson, who, along with Robert E. Peary, set foot on the North Pole in 1909.
Ms. Hillary had retired from a 55-year career as a nurse when, seeking adventure, she went dog-sledding in Quebec and photographed polar bears in Manitoba. She then learned that no African-American woman had ever made it to the North Pole and challenged herself to become the first, though she had no funding and no organization behind her and had lost 25 percent of her breathing capacity from surgery for her lung cancer.
The expedition would require her to ski, which she had also never done before. It wasnt a popular sport in Harlem, where she had grown up, she told The Seattle Times in 2007. In preparation for the trek, she took cross-country skiing lessons and hired a personal trainer. She started eating more vegetables, increased her vitamin intake and worked out with weights. And she raised the necessary $25,000, mostly through donations, for equipment and transportation.
.. ..
As a New School student Ms. Hillary majored in gerontology and earned both her bachelors and masters degrees in the subject before becoming a nurse. In Far Rockaway she founded the Arverne Action Association, which sought to improve life in that neighborhood. She also founded The Peninsula Magazine, which covered the Rockaways, and was its editor in chief.
In addition to working as a nurse, Ms. Hillary sometimes drove a taxi, Deborah Bogosian, a friend, told 1010 WINS radio in New York. She also had an appreciation for archery, guns and knives, big trucks and big dogs, Ms. Bogosian said, and grew roses and tomatoesIn 2007 Ms. Hillary shared with The New Yorker some of her tips for living a good life: One, mind your own business; two, maintain a sense of humor; and three, tell an individual to go to hell when its needed. And she had this bit of advice for New School graduates when she spoke at their commencement: At every phase in your life, look at your options. Please, do not select boring ones.
It was not until 1986 that any woman had reached the top of the world, with Ann Bancroft, a physical education teacher and explorer from Minnesota, becoming the first. The first black man there was Matthew Henson, who, along with Robert E. Peary, set foot on the North Pole in 1909.
Ms. Hillary had retired from a 55-year career as a nurse when, seeking adventure, she went dog-sledding in Quebec and photographed polar bears in Manitoba. She then learned that no African-American woman had ever made it to the North Pole and challenged herself to become the first, though she had no funding and no organization behind her and had lost 25 percent of her breathing capacity from surgery for her lung cancer.
The expedition would require her to ski, which she had also never done before. It wasnt a popular sport in Harlem, where she had grown up, she told The Seattle Times in 2007. In preparation for the trek, she took cross-country skiing lessons and hired a personal trainer. She started eating more vegetables, increased her vitamin intake and worked out with weights. And she raised the necessary $25,000, mostly through donations, for equipment and transportation.
.. ..
As a New School student Ms. Hillary majored in gerontology and earned both her bachelors and masters degrees in the subject before becoming a nurse. In Far Rockaway she founded the Arverne Action Association, which sought to improve life in that neighborhood. She also founded The Peninsula Magazine, which covered the Rockaways, and was its editor in chief.
In addition to working as a nurse, Ms. Hillary sometimes drove a taxi, Deborah Bogosian, a friend, told 1010 WINS radio in New York. She also had an appreciation for archery, guns and knives, big trucks and big dogs, Ms. Bogosian said, and grew roses and tomatoesIn 2007 Ms. Hillary shared with The New Yorker some of her tips for living a good life: One, mind your own business; two, maintain a sense of humor; and three, tell an individual to go to hell when its needed. And she had this bit of advice for New School graduates when she spoke at their commencement: At every phase in your life, look at your options. Please, do not select boring ones.
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The life of a remarkable woman (Original Post)
MBS
Nov 2019
OP
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,543 posts)1. thanks for sharing that
I confess I'd never read about Barbara Hillary before.
MBS
(9,688 posts)3. I hadn't either. If I hadn't read the back section of the newspaper today,
I would have missed her obituary completely.
What an amazing woman.
accomplished people are one thing but then there are others who just never see the obstacles in their paths or if they do, they see them as a challenge
The next time I'm tempted to indulge in whining, I'll remember Barbara Hillary.
brer cat
(24,640 posts)5. What an amazing accomplishment.
Thank you for sharing, MBS.
pansypoo53219
(21,005 posts)6. yes. thanks because i doubt she will be in my paper. this will be shared.
Alithea
(99 posts)7. Thanks for sharing that. What an amazing woman! She gives me hope and inspiration! :) n/t
iluvtennis
(19,897 posts)8. Wow what an accomplishment, wow! Rest in peache Ms Barbara Hillary.
bluecollar2
(3,622 posts)9. Kick for exposure...n/t