Dr. Patricia Barr-Harrison

Pat grew up in a loving and caring home. Her parents were leaders in the community. Her father was a businessman and was the owner of a dry cleaning business in town, in addition to being a preacher in Clarendon County. She was a gifted student, starting grade school a year early. Her mother taught at the school, and she would attend school with mother. She later transferred to W. M. Anderson Elementary School. She took French at Tomlinson High School because it was the only foreign language taught there at the time. Pat was the attendance taker while there, as well as a majorette with her mother as the director. Growing up, Pat played the clarinet and the piano and always had a love for music. She had a close relationship with her cousins, the Shaws and often attended a church service with them that was held at her Uncle Freddy’s club.

After graduating from Tomlinson High School, she attended Johnson C. Smith University and majored in French with a minor in Music. Pat loved attending Johnson C. Smith University. She made lifelong friends there and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Following graduation, she became a French Teacher and her first job was in Lumberton, North Carolina. She taught there for one year before moving to Washington, DC to enroll in graduate school at Howard University, where she pursued a degree in Foreign Languages and Education.

She enjoyed Washington D.C. so much that she stayed in the area for the rest of her life. Pat started as a teacher in Prince George’s County Public Schools, and eventually was promoted to the position of Supervisor of Foreign Languages for grades K-12, where she supervised teachers of eight different languages for 15 years. She had a love for teaching students, as well as teachers, and was fluent in French and Spanish. She also dabbled in Japanese. Pat was truly one of our national leaders in the field of foreign language education. During her time as Supervisor of Foreign Languages, from 1983-2004, she developed curricula and training for teachers of French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, Spanish, Swahili and ASL. Her programs also included French Immersion K-12, Spanish Dual Language, Spanish FLES, Latin and FLEX. She conducted over 100 workshops and inservices for various school districts, colleges, State Foreign Language Associations, and the Northeast Conference and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. She also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.

During her tenure, she was also a member of several education focused organizations. She was the president of the Greater Washington Association of Teachers of Foreign Languages, president of the National Association of Supervisors of Foreign Languages, Coordinator of the Advocates for Language Learning Conference, as well as a member of many state and national task forces, committees and advisory boards for which she coordinated projects related to all national issues of foreign language teachers. She was also a member of the Steering Committee of the National Assessment of Education Progress, which assessed Spanish in secondary schools in the United States. She was honored with numerous awards for outstanding leadership and service. A few of these honors were awarded by the Japan America Society, The National Advocates for Language Learning Organization, Howard University, The Board of Education of Prince George’s County (MD) Public Schools and the National Association of District Supervisors. In 1994, she co-authored a book titled Exploring Languages. Pat received her Doctorate in World Languages and Curriculum Design from the University of Maryland College Park in 1999, and was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony. She worked for five more years in the county before retiring.

After retirement, Pat continued to stay busy. She became a founding member for the National Museum of Foreign Language where she created programs and camps for students in the local area. In addition to the museum to occupy her time, Pat also became an educational consultant with a particular interest in charter schools in Washington, D.C. and in particular, immersion schools, a program she pioneered for Prince George’s County Public Schools. Pat had always been the definition of “have passport, will travel” and she traveled even more once she retired. If anyone asked her if she wanted to go somewhere, she would have her bag packed and ready. She was the consummate world traveler, visiting Italy, Greece, France, China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and the Caribbean, just to name a few. But, she especially loved going to Charleston and Myrtle Beach because she was happiest and the most relaxed being on or near the water. Pat would also spend more time in Kingstree with her mother as time progressed.

Pat was married to the late Foster Harrison who was the “yin” to her “yang.” They bought a boat “Bon Vivant” which refers to a person who enjoys the good things in life. With each other they did have the good things in life. They traveled often, entertained frequently, and were each other’s biggest fan and supporter until he passed in July 1998.

Pat enjoyed life to the fullest! She loved good food, good music and great company. Asian food was her favorite, but she also liked classic American. And you would often find her at National Harbor enjoying the endless culinary choices there! She also loved all types of music, from contemporary jazz to classical to hip hop. She cherished time spent with her “Special 5” and their families.

It was really only when her illness began, that she was forced to slow down. Even then she continued to live by her motto…”Please be positive…Life goes on no matter what…C’est la vie (That is life!...so move forward). Her last months were the most challenging for her, filled with medical treatments and endless emergency room visits and hospital stays. Throughout it all, and until the end, she never really complained. Her friends and family will miss her bright personality, infectious sense of humor, ever-present optimism, and profound, never-ending, and endearing love.

She was predeceased by her father, Rev. Roosevelt Barr, her mother, IcaBelle Barr, and her sister, Shirley Grantham as well as her husband Foster Harrison. She is survived by her nephew, William Petrick James (Akiia) and her grandies Petrick, Ica, and Vera; niece Brenna Marie Graham, goddaughter Allyson Mitchell, her aunt Mayme Thornton, “chosen” family Jarmar Saunders, Aru Saunders, Ardra O'Neal, Gloria Jean Murphy Gardner, Toiya Warthen, and Roy Bufkin; special friend, Ronald White; and nieces, nephews, cousins, and numerous others who loved Pat as family and a dear friend.