Barbara L. Porter

Obituary

BARBARA LAMAR PORTER, PH.D.

Barbara L. Porter certainly got the most out of her seventy years.  She added great value to the lives of everyone she touched; her death creates a vacuum that can never be filled.  Her integrity, intellect and directness were the foundation of who she was.  When confronted fifteen months ago with the news she was suffering from pancreatic cancer, Barbara began her journey with great dignity and courage.

Barbara was born in Pittsburgh, PA on December 31, 1945.  Her mother, Evelyn, had come to Pittsburgh to give birth as an alternative to the substandard hospital services that were available to blacks in Alabama.  After a short stay in Pittsburgh, Barbara and her mother joined her father, Louis, in Docena, Alabama.  It was an inauspicious beginning to a life which would see Barbara grow into the matriarch of the Lamar-Porter family.

Just about every three years, siblings joined the Lamar family:  Louis, Jr., Gloria, Gregory, Yolanda, Zynobia and Lorraine.  This active clan of youth together experienced the joys and pains associated with growing up in Docena, Alabama where family was first and friends a close second.  This environment affected the way Barbara viewed the world.

Barbara spent time between Alabama and Pittsburgh during her elementary years, primarily for the sake of receiving a quality education.  Barbara made the permanent move to Pittsburgh around 1960, residing with Garfield and Elizabeth Sudduth, her maternal grandparents.  Her grandmother and Great-Aunt Elvira Simms were major influences in Barbara's life and the woman that she became.  It was abundantly clear to all that Barbara was a true academic scholar.  In addition to participating in the Scholars Program at Fifth Avenue High School, she found time to be a cheerleader and a tennis player.  It was during her high school days that she found time to go on a picnic date with Ron Porter, a "jock" she found to be rather "full of himself and not that bright".

Barbara entered the University of Pittsburgh with a scholarship in 1964.  Her class included lifetime friends Gaul Austin and Francine McNairy.  They were among a small group of African Americans who were destined to alter the culture of the institution in the mid-'60s.  In 1965, she pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Iota Chapter which increased the number "sister" who became an important part of her life.

Barbara started her academic journey with an interest in Spanish and French, but she gradually changed her focus to counseling and academic administration.  She was always focused on helping others and keeping things in order.  For a number of years, Barbara counseled students enrolled in the University Community Education Program (UCEP).  That same focus led to the attainment of Master's and Doctorate degrees from Pitt, forming the foundation for a forty-two-year career at the University.  She retired as an Assistant Dean at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs in 2012.   Barbara was beloved by the many employees she managed over her career and by colleagues throughout the University.

Shortly after graduating from college she encountered the jock she had dated in high school.  They had their first date in February 1968 and the two were married in July.  Ron found a solid gold partner in Barbara.  Ron, Jr. was born in June 1969 and Bryan followed in September 1972.  As a young family they had many fun journeys including many trips to Docena, Alabama where their sons bonded with an uncle, four aunts and many, many cousins.

Barbara and Ron also traveled to England, Egypt, South Africa, Ghana, and Ethiopia.  They traveled to  Kenya as recently as February 2013 and their home contains many artifacts from their journeys.  Accompanied by her best friend Sylvia Barksdale, Barbara visited Korea, Japan and China.  Standing on the Great Wall of china was one of her most precious life experiences.

Barbara also had a broad range of interests.  She was a voracious reader; books by John Grisham, Stephen King, Ken Follett and James Patterson fill the shelves of her home library.  She regularly attended performances of the Pittsburgh Opera and Symphony.

Wherever Barbara drove her car, it rocked with the soulful music of the '60s.  No depiction of her life's love of shopping; she and sales associates at Nordstrom and Macy's knew each other by their first names! Then there were those at Saks.

After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Barbara continued to live her life filled with high spirit and vitality.  She did not allow folks to feel sorry for her.  Even as her body began to fail, her keen sense of family remained sharp; Barbara remained a rock to all.  Three months before she died she made the yearly transit to Martha's Vineyard.  She insisted on taking three of her grandsons because she felt it it important for grandparents to help to make lifelong memories for others.  This is one of mamy reasons she will be greatly missed.

Death leaves a vacuum that can never be filled, but the passing of a Matriarch is a time for thanks and celebration.  Barbara will serve as a guidepost for her husband Ron who recognizes the blessing of being lifted up by a person much better than him.  Her sons, Ron, Jr. and Bryan will always be her baby boys and they exchanged hugs, kisses and words of thanks just about every day.  The Lamar-Porter bloodline continues in grandsons Bryan, Jr., Brandon, Derrell, and Ron III.  Blayke, Barbara's sole granddaughter, smothered Grandma with hugs and kisses at every meeting.  Great-grandson, Bryan III (Charlie) inherited the gleam that always twinkled in Barbara's eyes.

Barbara will be greatly missed by her sisters, Gloria Lamar of Florida, Yolanda Givens, Zynobia Bryant and Lorraine Davis, all of Alabama.  She is predeceased by her parents, Louis and Evelyn Lamar and her two brothers, Louis, Jr. and Gregory.   She also leaves behind a cousin, Ann Griggs.

Sylvia is Barbara's sister from another mother.  Nuff said!  Many special friends provided consistent support consistently providing valuable support and prayer.

Nieces, nephews and friends are too lengthy to list, but she is special to each one.