| Honored by: | Jeanne C. Anderson |
| Brick location: | C:29 map |
She was born in East Orange, New Jersey February 9, 1912. She graduated from New College Teacher's College Columbia University 1936. She worked with the WPA in Wilmington, Deleware 1936-39 establishing recreational programs for young adults and youth in rural areas outside of Wilmington.
She married George H. Finck August 7, 1939 in South Orange, New Jersey. She taught nursery school and received her Masters Degree in Child Development at Hood College in Fredrick, Maryland 1939-1947. She also taught nursery school and courses in child development at Texas State College for Women (TSCW) while her husband taught sociology at North Texas State both schools located in Denton Texas 1947-1950. Taught nursery school and courses in child development at Florida State Univ. while her husband completed his Ph.D. 1950-1958.
She became principal of the St.Petersburg Florida Country Day School a private school with grades Kindergarten thru 6th grade 1952-1958. Director of Testing in Guidance Department St.Petersburg Junior College 1958-1960. School social worker for Pinellas County Schools 1960-1965. In the early 1960's she set up a kindergarten program that preceded Headstart. Became principal of Lakeview Elementary School in the Pinellas County School System in 1965.
This was the county's first racially integrated faculty and served a predominately African-American neighborhood. Became principle of Woodlawn Elementary 1971 and retired from the school system in 1973. She then began a new career as a consultant to the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County of which her husband Dr. George Finck was Director.
For the remaining fifteen years of her life Barbara Finck develped and helped run a county-wide network of Latchkey Centers for school age children and Project Playpen a program for foster care and daycare placement of hard to place children as well as always being available to center directors whether it was to evaluate a child or brainstorming a management problem. When she became ill she continued her work from a wheelchair and then from her home until a few days before her death.
Barbara Finck died May 13, 1988. She was predeceased by her husband who died March 9, 1976. She is survived by her son Peter who lives in Maryland and her daughter Katrina who lives in South Carolina.
6/20/94