Botswana RPCV Barbara B. Knowles dies



After her husband's death in 1980, Mrs. Knowles' love of volunteering took her to Africa with the Peace Corps. Her daughter likes to tell the story of how Mrs. Knowles worked to build a kitchen to serve food at a school in Botswana. The building was going up lopsided, so Mrs. Knowles stopped construction and decided to design it and oversee construction herself. "She was sharp as a tack and no-nonsense," her daughter said.

Botswana RPCV Barbara B. Knowles dies

Barbara B. Knowles, 94, dined with Roosevelts, lived 'a big life'

Jun 11, 2006

Portland Press Herald

Barbara B. Knowles didn't have a life, but several rather extraordinary lives.

As a college student, she spent time at the White House, dining with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his inner circle. For several decades after that, Mrs. Knowles was a wife, mother, volunteer and athlete while living in Massachusetts.

In her 50s and 60s, she lived in Maine with her husband, Robert Knowles, and continued to volunteer. After her husband died, Mrs. Knowles, near the age of 70, went to Botswana as a member of the Peace Corps.

She got her master's degree from the University of Southern Maine at the age of 80. In her 90s, she was considered the oldest library volunteer in the state.

It wasn't until Mrs. Knowles became sick recently that she started to slow down. She died Monday at the age of 94 after a short illness.

"She just had a big life until the very end," said Sandra Knowles, her daughter.

Mrs. Knowles was born in Brockton, Mass., in 1912 and graduated from Durfee High School in Fall River. As a college student, she dated a hometown boy whose father was Louis Howe, a political confidant of Roosevelt, her daughter said. This opened the doors of the White House to her. Mrs. Knowles' family still has personal notes she received from Eleanor Roosevelt.

After graduating from Wheaton College, Mrs. Knowles met and married Robert Knowles. She and her husband started to raise two children in Scituate, Mass., and moved to Maine in 1960 when Robert Knowles got a job with an insurance company here. Mrs. Knowles volunteered at a thrift shop in Portland and worked with Friends of the Blind, becoming president of the board.

After her husband's death in 1980, Mrs. Knowles' love of volunteering took her to Africa with the Peace Corps.

Her daughter likes to tell the story of how Mrs. Knowles worked to build a kitchen to serve food at a school in Botswana. The building was going up lopsided, so Mrs. Knowles stopped construction and decided to design it and oversee construction herself.

"She was sharp as a tack and no-nonsense," her daughter said.

Upon returning to Maine, she continued to volunteer and earned a master's degree in New England studies from the University of Southern Maine.

"Her 70s was something like someone else's 40s," Sandra Knowles said.

Until recently, Mrs. Knowles was living alone in a Casco farmhouse, making jams, driving and doing research on the construction to the entrance of her barn.

When this story was posted in July 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory. New: Sign up to receive PCOL Magazine, our free Monthly Magazine by email. Like to keep up with Peace Corps news as it happens? Sign up to recieve a daily summary of Peace Corps stories from around the world.

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