Barbara Greenwood always objected when someone referred to her as “the mayor of Bristol”. While she undoubtedly influenced the town’s direction, she did it as a citizen, not as a leader. She encouraged others to run for elected office — not to be able to manipulate them from behind the scenes, but to encourage them to do what was right for the people residing in the community.
That doesn’t mean she did not offer her opinions. She worked hard to get voters to agree to a new town hall and a solution for the inadequate police station quarters. She championed successive plans for an addition to the Minot-Sleeper Library through several town meetings until there was a renovation design that voters would approve.
Before she died at age 90 on January 14, she had become an integral part of the Tapply-Thompson Community Center, having worked for many years on the winter carnival queen pageant and Santa’s Village. The family has designated the TTCC as the recipient of memorial contributions in her name at a time when the center is in the midst of renovations and expansion efforts.
Barbara’s goal was to promote good citizenship, and she said last spring that, of all the awards she has won since being chosen Bristol’s second winter carnival queen while in high school, it was the DAR Good Citizenship Award that she most cherished.
That perspective fit in well with the mission of the Liberty Independent Media Project, and Barbara served several years on the nonprofit’s board of directors. The Liberty Project produced documentaries that included covering the 60th anniversary of Santa’s Village, profiles of veterans such as Harold “Bub” Sheffield, and efforts to assist those who were homeless.
The quarterly board meetings had taken place at restaurants or venues such as the Belknap Mill before Barbara joined and offered to open up her home for the gatherings. She supplemented the pizzas that would be brought in for the meetings with cookies, cakes, and drinks.
After the last board meeting before she resigned, as she began to cut back on her commitments, I discovered while disposing of the pizza cartons that her mini-spatula had traveled home with me. I set it aside to return it at the next meeting, but there was no next meeting. There was an unfilled board vacancy at the time, and then Barbara, who was approaching 90, decided that she also would step down. Shortly after that, the board president decided not to seek re-election. The remaining members decided to dissolve the non-profit.
I still have the spatula.
The Liberty Independent Media Project never achieved a sustainable financial footing, but what it was trying to accomplish — highlighting the historical, cultural, and personal experiences of the community and the people who live there — was something Barbara could — and did — support. I am continuing the work through freelance writing as Liberty Media.
Barbara’s other passions — education, literacy, recreation, and working for the good of the community — also continue through the schools, library, community center, and local government. As Pastor Andrew MacLeod said at Barbara’s memorial service on January 28, her spirit will live on through those organizations and the people who remember her role in their success.