"Barbara Gardner Proctor" (1933)

Was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina,to a single mother Bernice Gardner. She raised by by a grandmother,and an uncle in extreme poverty with no electricity or running water.Her grandmother instilled early determination in Barbara,telling her "You 're not cute, but you're smart and one day you" amount to something,"Barbara never never forgot the advice.Barbara academy ability earned her a scholarship to Talladega College in Alabama,and she went on to earned  a B.A. in English and another B.A.  in psychology and social science.She graduated with both degrees in 1954.Later the attended law school.In 1960 Barbara married Carl Proctor,road manager for jazz singer Sarah Vaughn,they divorced in 1963.she had one child name Morgan who later worked for her business.Barbara claimed that the 15-hour days that she worked were the best relaxation for her.She was involved in the business community and received many awards for her work.Barbara served on many boards,including the Illinois Bell Telephone Company,the 1988Illinois Olympic Committee,the Better Business Bureau,the Illinois State Bar Association Institute for Public Affairs,and the White House Conference on Small Business.Barbara was involved efforts for the advancement of women and African Americans and worked with such groups as the League of Black Women (served as president from 1978-1982),the NAACP (lifetime member),and handicapped Organized Women (served on honorary board).Barbara won a number of awards for contributions to the fields of writings and advertising.Some of these included the Small Business of the Year Award (1978) and the Black Media Award for Outstanding Professional (1980). Barbara began her career by using her writing skills in the music field.In 1958 she began working as a jazz music critic and contributing editor to Downbeat magazine.From 1961-1964 she worked for Vee-Jay Records International in Chicago,creating copy for jazz record covers and later serving international director.After her divorce from Carl,Barbara shifted to the advertising industry.Between 1965 & 1970 she worked for three different advertising firms:Post -Keys-Gardner Advertising,Chicago, 1969-70.She served as copy supervisor at North Advertising Agency.Barbara decided to launch her own business when she was fired from North-Advertising for refusing to work on an ad campaign to which she objected.The ad,which she found demeaning to women and African-Americans,parodied the civil rights movement and featured protesting women running down the street and demanding that their hairdressers foam their hair.