Please share your memories using the form below. They will appear below on this page. A scholarship in memory of Dr. Pat Barr Harrison has been established by the Museum. Donate here. Read her obituary here.

I met Pat in 1980 when she was finishing her requirements for the master’s degree in French at Howard University. Our paths crossed many times after that, beginning with conferences/meetings of the Greater Washington Association of Teachers of Foreign Languages (GWATFL), in which Pat was a loyal and supporting member and officer for many years. I also worked with Pat on projects over the years while she served as Foreign Language Supervisor for Prince George’s County Public Schools. I was also on the Board of the National Museum of Language along with Pat.

Dr. Pat Barr-Harrison was relentless and unyielding in her efforts to earn the doctorate degree in Foreign Language Education while working full-time. That was not an easy endeavor! She was a consummate educator who was always ready and willing to stay abreast of the trends in foreign language teaching, learning and program administration.

Pat was indeed a humanist par excellence. She personified the phrase “caring and sharing”. This applies to her professional colleagues, her family and friends.

Dr. James Davis, Howard University

I have been with the Museum since 2008. Pat was already a museum fixture then. She had a vision of what she thought the museum should be. She worked HARD to make that a reality. I think that she would tell you that her greatest achievements were in outreach (programs for children) and the Puerto Rican cruise ship initiative. Although she was never the Museum president, she did earn Emeritus status as a Trustee.She dedicated many years of her life to the museum and even more to language work. She believed in the power of language and was willing to dedicate her life to that end.

Gred Nedved, National Museum of Language

When I came to work in Washington DC in 1986, Pat Barr Harrison was the biggest name in the Foreign Language Education community. She was a national figure.

Dr. Charles Stansfield. Second Language Testing Foundation

The accomplishments that I am most familiar with are Pat’s work for the PGCPS Foreign Lang. Dept. and for the NML. Under Pat’s leadership, the PGCPS grew to the point that it was able to offer language instruction in some 8 different languages. At the NML, Pat used to describe the Admin. Asst. position as the “glue” that kept it together, but that was actually a better description for her work there. She oversaw the museum docents, scheduled field trip visits for area students, helped organize the annual fundraiser dinner, took the lead in developing a number of NML exhbits, and served as director for the NML’s language camps. One of her most recent and notable contributions was to head up the development of the Virtual Cruise to Puerto Rico exhibit.

Linda Thompson, National Museum of Language

Pat was the person who got me involved in the museum. Her enthusiasm was contagious and soon I was helping develop the first exhibit for our opening in 2008. Over the years, she found grant opportunities, wrote successful grant proposals, and organized our major exhibits.

Pat’s true talents as an educator shone when she organized our summer camps. She guided young people to explore languages and cultures with her joyful attitude and inclusive warmth that welcomed one and all to events at the museum and around the community.

Pat had the original creative vision for and guided the development of our Virtual Cruise to Puerto Rico – now a popular destination for teachers who enjoy its rich offerings of the people, food, music, history, natural beauty and culture of the island.

Pat’s most recent achievement was the creation of our Virtual Field Trips for students in local schools to explore our exhibits in depth. We will miss her and try our best to carry on with the same passion she showed in all she did.

Jill Robbins, National Museum of Language