Barbara Warner
The conductor raises his arms and the symphony swells to life, an explosion of sound – each instrument blending into the one beside it, all of it masterfully coordinated. Then comes the moment everyone has been waiting for: the soaring sound of a violin breaks through the rest, carrying a poignant melody that touches every listener in the room. Every time you hear that soaring violin, it’s worth knowing that you’re listening to the music of the endowed Barbara K. Warner Chair.
It’s not the only place you’ll find Warner’s name. Look up in the Warner Rotunda at the South Bend Museum of Art. Take a seat in the Warner Studio Theatre at South Bend Civic. Talk to anyone who’s been involved in local arts during the past three decades.
Barbara Warner passed away in September 2020, and it would be correct to say that she was one of St. Joseph County’s preeminent patrons of the arts.
But it would be more correct to say that she still is.
Barbara’s family had a long-established place in the South Bend community. Her father, businessman Eugene B. Warner, studied law and dealt in real estate, while her mother, Merle (Shidler) Warner, was a writer for the South Bend Tribune, as was Barbara a generation later.
Barbara attended South Bend’s public schools, graduated from Penn Hall Preparatory School in Chambersburg, PA, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Sweet Briar College, VA. After graduation, she worked as an advertising copywriter in Washington, DC, and also for the Erwin Agency, a Washington-based news service.
As an adult, Barbara traveled the world – from Europe to South America to Asia to the Middle East to Australia and New Zealand. But when the adventure was over, she always returned to St. Joseph County, a place that Barbara always believed was as special as any destination on any side of the world.
Barbara’s philanthropy extended beyond her love for local arts. She was a champion for the Family & Children’s Center, the South Bend Education Foundation, and – of course – the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.
“I knew Barbara for more than 25 years,” said Rose Meissner. “She served on the Community Foundation’s founding board of directors and was a personal friend and mentor to me from the very beginning. I always admired the breadth of her interests, caring as much about social services as the arts. Whenever I asked her for feedback or advice, she gave it to me straight, which I appreciate – softened by her ever-ready sense of humor.”
Barbara passed away in September 2020 at the age of 96 – a long life well-lived. But this wasn’t nearly the end of her philanthropic story. She knew that the needs of any community change over time. New problems emerge and new solutions need the funding to fix them. That’s why she structured her end-of-life gift to be very flexible – allowing the Community Foundation to respond to needs in the Community.
Her giving story didn’t end in September 2020.
It only marked the end of a chapter, and a new chapter would begin on the next page.
In 2025, as state and federal support for the arts steadily dwindles, a bequest from Barbara’s estate makes it possible for the Community Foundation to increase its support for the arts. Local arts organizations continue to need her, and Warner’s lifelong generosity is still there.
The result? The theatre lights will stay on. The music will keep playing. Young people will have access to classes and performances that might otherwise have disappeared. Of course there is still the Rotunda, the Theatre, and the singing sounds of those violins – all supported in part by a gift from Barbara Warner that will never stop giving.