Barbara J. Sindall

Barbara J. Sindall
A young white woman, leaning forward and resting on her elbows, wearing a light-colored blouse with a wide tie collar
Barbara J. Sindall, from the 1926 yearbook of Bryn Mawr College
Born(1904-09-22)22 September 1904
Tunbridge Wells, UK
Died25 March 1989(1989-03-25) (aged 84)
Jeffersonville, Vermont
Other namesBobby Sindall
Occupation(s)Classicist, educator

Barbara Joan Sindall (22 September 1904 – 25 March 1989) was a British educator. She taught Latin and Greek at girls' private schools including Brearley and Ethel Walker in the United States, and Godolphin and Latymer School in London. During World War II she was an anti-aircraft gunner in England.

Early life and education

Sindall was born in Tunbridge Wells, the daughter of Harold Francis Sindall and Ada Banning Sindall.[1] Her father was headmaster of the Arden School on Staten Island, and a teacher at St. Bernard's and the Choate School.[2][3] She moved to the United States with her parents in childhood, and attended preparatory school in Dongan Hills, Staten Island.[4] She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1926. At Bryn Mawr she played hockey, ran track, and did archery and swimming.[5] She pursued further studies in Rome, and at Yale University.[6]

Career

Sindall taught Latin, Greek, and archaeology courses at private girls' schools including the Brearley School in New York City, the Godolphin and Latymer School in London,[7] and the Ethel Walker School in Connecticut. During World War II she returned to Britain and enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in which she was commissioned in 1944[8] and attained the rank of Subaltern (equivalent to Lieutenant)[9] and served in a Royal Artillery anti-aircraft battery. "I had no idea what I could do to help," she recalled to an American reporter in 1969. "I only knew I didn't want a soft, easy job as I'd had over here."[10] She retired from schoolwork in 1966,[6] and became a librarian in Vermont.[10][11]

Personal life

Sindall lived with her widowed friend and fellow teacher, Bay Frances Coudenhove, in Jeffersonville, Vermont,[10] until Coudenhove died in 1988.[12] Sindall died in 1989, aged 84 years, in Jeffersonville. Her niece Susan Sindall married composer Peter Schickele.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Mrs. Ada Sindall". Hartford Courant. 22 December 1958. p. 6. Retrieved 16 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "The Sindalls' Perilous Trip from Europe; Came Home on British Vessel Convoyed by Destroyer". Record-Journal. 27 September 1939. p. 9. Retrieved 15 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Harold Sindall, Educator, Headed N.Y. School, Dies". Record-Journal. 20 April 1957. p. 5. Retrieved 15 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Bryn Mawr College Calendar. Bryn Mawr College. 1924. p. 46.
  5. ^ Bryn Mawr College, Class of 1926 (1926 yearbook): 22, 23, 109.
  6. ^ a b c "Barbara J. Sindall (obituary)". The Burlington Free Press. 27 March 1989. p. 12. Retrieved 15 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Former Hartridge Teacher to go to London". The Courier-News. 29 July 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "No. 36416". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 March 1944. p. 1157.
  9. ^ "No. 37401". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 December 1945. p. 6252.
  10. ^ a b c Kirkness, Elizabeth (1 July 1969). "Female British Gunner Recalls War Days". The Burlington Free Press. p. 4. Retrieved 15 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Jeffersonville Loses Librarian". The Burlington Free Press. 12 June 1969. p. 29. Retrieved 16 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Bay Frances Coudenhove". News and Citizen. 18 August 1988. p. 9. Retrieved 15 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.