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YELL -- Barbara Burruss IN MEMORIAM Barbara Burruss Yell Born September 9, 1915 to William and Louise Burruss in Springfield, Massachusetts, Barbara died December 1, 2004 at her home in the care of Presbyterian Hospice and her loving daughter, Jennifer Yell Kirwin and Jennifer's husband, William Kirwin, of Newport Beach, California. Barbara lived a truly remarkable life until several months ago when she succumbed to serious illness. Barbara was the wife of Eugene Yell, Professor of Theater Arts at The University of New Mexico. Gene died in 1992. Following their marriage in Chicago, they moved first to Florida and then, in 1948, to Albuquerque. Their time together included amateur and professional theater. She attended high school in Newton, Massachusetts, and received her degree in Fine Arts from The Goodman Theater at the Chicago Art Institute, also the alma mater of her husband. She became a fashion model, and later was deeply involved in the Federal Theater, taking shows on the road for that organization. Barbara had an exciting and fulfilling life which included working for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, where she enjoyed fighting for human rights and better working conditions in factories. She and Gene spent the summers for 50 years at "Hemlock Hollow," their wooded retreat in Western Maryland, where for 30 years they owned and operated a summer stock theater. Barbara and Gene enjoyed travel, spent many winter vacations with friends in their favorite city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and many autumns in another of their favorite place, London, for the theater season and visiting friends there. Barbara also worked for many years in real estate in Albuquerque. She numbered among her many friends in the arts and letters the late playwright Noel Coward, and author, interviewer, radio talk show host and Distinguished Scholar at the Chicago Historical Society, Studs Terkel. Barbara and Gene shared their life and home with long time friends from the University who will miss her great generosity and wonderful bon vivant spirit. Her time-honored remark, "You can't recover from old age " will be long remembered. Services for Barbara will be held at the University of New Mexico Alumni Chapel on December 19, 2004, at 11:00 a.m. There will be a gathering of friends at her home following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the UNM Drama Department scholarship fund, the ACLU, or the Humane Society of New Mexico.
        Published on: Sun December 12, 2004