Kingswood '60 remembers classmate Barbara Bowen Oberg
Dr. Barbara Bowen Oberg ‘60, renowned early American historian, editor, and scholar died at Connecticut Hospice in Branford on September 14, 2024.
As a Kingswood student, Oberg was involved in student government, dormitory council, the Clarion, and she was a stage manager, producer, and actor in a number of campus productions. "Bunny" as she was known to her classmates, found her passion at Kingswood in history, the arts, and literature. She then found her calling as a research scholar at Princeton University and as a gifted editor, well-known and respected for her work on the Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson Papers. At her passing, her contributions to our understanding of early American history were recognized by a wide range of historic and scholarly societies and boards. Dr. Oberg was honored on campus as Distinguished Alumna 2010, and she inspired alumni with her words at reunion and the Kingswood class of 2010 as their keynote speaker at commencement.
In her commencement address, Dr. Oberg used a three-legged stool as a metaphor throughout her well-crafted speech, noting the ways in which it served as both a foundation and a springboard. She used her three legs – history, art, and literature – to share lessons with the class of 2010. From history, Oberg said, “We cannot move forward or change history unless we know from where we came.” Art, and ceramics in particular, taught Oberg that “you cannot center the pot unless you know your own center…. You will find your own center, yourself, as you go forward. It will not be easy or without pain to find your center, but you must first go wide and far.” The third support, literature, came with a quote from E. M. Forster, “Only connect,” emphasizing the importance of relationships. Oberg lived this advice and stayed close with her many Kingswood friends across time and distance. She closed by urging graduates to find their balance in life by seeking the legs of their own stool, concluding her speech with this advice: “Take risks. And it is never too late to do something you want to do. Kayak, start a business, climb Mount Everest, but never forget to take with you your three-legged stool.”
Dr. Oberg’s books in our library will continue to inspire students, and she will be remembered with great pride as an important part of our talented alumni community. Her classmate Nancy Wilcox Karger ’60 was awash in memories when she visited campus last week, noting Barbara’s name carved on the auditorium wall above hers, and remembering the joyous cheers she shared with the other members of the Kingswood class of 1960 who were present when Barbara walked down the aisle of Christ Church Cranbrook - a full fifty years after their own graduation. Nancy observed that “We became a connected thread that attached us forever to the indelible impact that our years together at Kingswood had upon us.” Barbara Bowen Oberg will be remembered with affection by her classmates as they celebrate their 65th reunion this June 6-7-8.
Click here. to read an exert from Dr. Oberg's obituary.
Click here for the Crane Clarion piece on Distinguished Alumni 2010 featuring Dr. Oberg.
To read the transcript of Dr. Oberg’s 2010 commencement address, click here.
Return to the main Alumni News page
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In her commencement address, Dr. Oberg used a three-legged stool as a metaphor throughout her well-crafted speech, noting the ways in which it served as both a foundation and a springboard. She used her three legs – history, art, and literature – to share lessons with the class of 2010. From history, Oberg said, “We cannot move forward or change history unless we know from where we came.” Art, and ceramics in particular, taught Oberg that “you cannot center the pot unless you know your own center…. You will find your own center, yourself, as you go forward. It will not be easy or without pain to find your center, but you must first go wide and far.” The third support, literature, came with a quote from E. M. Forster, “Only connect,” emphasizing the importance of relationships. Oberg lived this advice and stayed close with her many Kingswood friends across time and distance. She closed by urging graduates to find their balance in life by seeking the legs of their own stool, concluding her speech with this advice: “Take risks. And it is never too late to do something you want to do. Kayak, start a business, climb Mount Everest, but never forget to take with you your three-legged stool.”
Dr. Oberg’s books in our library will continue to inspire students, and she will be remembered with great pride as an important part of our talented alumni community. Her classmate Nancy Wilcox Karger ’60 was awash in memories when she visited campus last week, noting Barbara’s name carved on the auditorium wall above hers, and remembering the joyous cheers she shared with the other members of the Kingswood class of 1960 who were present when Barbara walked down the aisle of Christ Church Cranbrook - a full fifty years after their own graduation. Nancy observed that “We became a connected thread that attached us forever to the indelible impact that our years together at Kingswood had upon us.” Barbara Bowen Oberg will be remembered with affection by her classmates as they celebrate their 65th reunion this June 6-7-8.
Click here. to read an exert from Dr. Oberg's obituary.
Click here for the Crane Clarion piece on Distinguished Alumni 2010 featuring Dr. Oberg.
To read the transcript of Dr. Oberg’s 2010 commencement address, click here.
Return to the main Alumni News page
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Dr. Barbara Bowen Oberg '60
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Crane Clarion piece on Distinguished Alumni 2010. Use the link below to view full sized.
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