Former school board member had passion for helping kids, community

Mar. 11—Philip Gudwin cherishes a trove of memories that center on his wife, Barbara: her devotion to kids, her love for life, her bravery in the face of a devastating illness.

But a piece of paper, read during Barbara Gudwin's memorial service Tuesday, stands out.

"I admire you for so many reasons," one of her friends wrote, referring to the former Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education member and inveterate local volunteer. "Your contributions to our community, particularly on behalf of children, your patience, calm presence, your intellect and curiosity, your compassion. And to add to all that, your insight and sense of humor. You have made a difference in the community you have chosen as your home.

"You have," the writer concluded, "made my life richer for knowing you."

"That," Philip Gudwin said, his voice quivering, "just absolutely nails Barbara."

Barbara Gudwin died Monday after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often known as Lou Gehrig's disease. She was 75.

She packed her years, friends and family said, with an indefatigable drive to help: Her volunteerism, evidenced by her membership on nonprofit boards, was ever-present. At one time or another, she served on the Santa Fe County Adolescent Pregnancy Taskforce, the Santa Fe Youth Council; the Santa Fe Community College Foundation Board, Partners in Education, Communities In Schools and co-chaired the Buckaroo Ball fundraiser.

"I can name off another 15 or 20," her husband said.

Born July 3, 1947, in Hackensack, N.J., Gudwin spent her early years in the East. She graduated from George Washington University and earned a master's degree in Library Science from Emory University in Georgia before taking a job at SUNY Buffalo (now University of Buffalo) Law School for six years. But in 1977, she made a move to Santa Fe, quickly getting a job with the Santa Fe Mountain Center and working with kids.

It became a theme: kids, service, commitment. Former Mayor Sam Pick later picked Gudwin to start and head the city's Commission for Children and Youth, and from there, few nonprofits or efforts involving kids could call themselves relevant unless they intersected with her.

"She wasn't just a board member," recalled Philip Goodwin, who met the woman who would become his wife not long after he arrived in Santa Fe. "She worked all those boards, and she was either the president or the chair or she worked ... toward the cause. I mean, there are some folks that, you know, just volunteer and get their name from board to board to board. I mean, she worked those boards."

Julia Bergen, executive director of Communities In Schools of New Mexico, said Gudwin's willingness to put in sweat equity and to serve as a mentor for both kids and adults, was breathtaking.

"I think Barbara was a person who really believed in an individual child's potential," she said. "What could we do as citizens and community leaders to ensure that they could meet that potential?"

In 2009, Gudwin won the District 3 seat on the school board over two other candidates, employing a devastatingly effective campaign tagline: "The Children First." There was truth in advertising: She and Philip had two daughters, Sari and Ariel.

Former school board member Frank Montaño, who served with Gudwin, said he first met her while he was a member of the City Council and she headed the youth commission. He said he wanted to get involved with the agency due to her constant "support of children."

On both the commission on and the school board, Montano said Gudwin was "very effective. She was able to move the meetings along, keep decorum, let everyone have their say."

She served one term on the school board, but Philip Gudwin said his wife chose not to seek another four years after her mother, Ruthe Goldberg, fell ill.

"Her mom was important enough to keep her from running again, but she truly, truly enjoyed [it]," he said.

Philip said signals of a serious health problem began to arise about four-plus years ago, but she wasn't formally diagnosed with ALS until about nine months ago.

"Then she started to turn down, and that's when the struggle really started," he said, later adding, "she was a trooper."

But she was more than that, Philip Gudwin said.

"She was," he said, "my hero."

Robert Nott contributed to this report.