In Memoriam: Barbara Collier 

Barbara Gratiot Collier, a longtime member of CSBA whose service included terms on the Delegate Assembly, Board of Directors and many committees, died July 7 following a brief illness. She was 72.

A resident of Yreka near the Oregon state line, Ms. Collier was born in Oakland and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a liberal arts degree in 1955. She taught elementary and middle school in Alameda, Contra Costa and Sacramento counties before moving to Siskiyou County in 1960, where she married John Randolph Collier and taught for several more years. Mr. Collier died in 1998.

Ms. Collier represented Region 2 on the Board of Directors from 1987 to 2005 and Region 2A on the Delegate Assembly from 1985 to 1987 and again from 2005 until her death. She also served as a trustee of the Yreka Union High School District from 1982 until her death, including several terms as board president, and was active in her community.

She was a vocal advocate for the unique needs of rural schools with CSBA in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. She served as the association’s representative on the Carl Perkins Vocational Technical Field Committee and on CSBA’s Federal Issues Council, Small School Districts Council, Higher Education Remediation Task Force, legislative, budget, policy platform and Annual Education committees and several other panels.

“She was always cool, calm and collected, and generated a spirit of strong wisdom that was truly a sight to behold. She will be sorely missed,” said Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin.

Survivors include her son, David Collier, her daughter, Elizabeth Collier, and their families. They suggest donations in Barbara Collier’s name to United Scholarships Inc. at P.O. Box 1328, Yreka, CA 96097.