Barbara "Bobbie" Handman (March 11, 1928 – November 14, 2013) was an American political consultant and arts activist, known for her role in preserving historic

Broadway theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

houses. She was the executive vice-president and New York City office director of

People for the American Way People for the American Way (PFAW ) is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer Norman Lear, a self-described liberal who founde ...

from 1981 until 2003.

Formative years and family

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

on March 11, 1928,Melena Ryzik, "Nearly 60 Years and Counting, Working on the Art of Theater", The New York Times, May 20, 2007.
/ref> Handman was the wife of stage director and teacher

Wynn Handman Wynn Handman (May 19, 1922 – April 11, 2020) was the artistic director of The American Place Theatre, which he co-founded with Sidney Lanier and Michael Tolan in 1963. His role in the theatre was to seek out, encourage, train, and present ...

. Handman's daughter, Laura Handman, is married to Harold M. Ickes.

Career

In 1982, Handman helped to found Save the Theatres, an organization that tried unsuccessfully to prevent the razing of the Morosco, Helen Hayes, and Bijou Theaters. In 1988, the group succeeded in having twenty-eight Broadway houses designated as landmarks by the

New York City Board of Estimate The New York City Board of Estimate was a governmental body in New York City responsible for numerous areas of municipal policy and decisions, including the city budget, land-use, contracts, franchises, and water rates. Under the amendments eff ...

. Handman served on the board of the Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation and on the

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington D.C., dedicated to the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, and to the era he represents. The memorial is one of two in Wa ...

Commission. White House press release, Sept. 22, 1994.
She was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

in 1998 for her work as an arts advocate.

Death

Handman died in New York City on November 14, 2013.

References

External links

PFAW tribute
to Handman {{DEFAULTSORT:Handman, Barbara 1928 births 2013 deaths American political consultants People for the American Way people United States National Medal of Arts recipients Activists from Philadelphia