St. Louis, Illinois (June 18, 1937 -July 21, 2008) age 71 yrs

Barbara Ann Teer, an American writer, producer, teacher, actress and social visionary. In 1968, she founded Harlem’s National Black Theatre, the first revenue-generating Black theater arts complex in the U.S. In the 1960s, Teer left show business to start teaching at Harlem’s Wadleigh Junior High School; her techniques helped to develop the Group Theatre Workshop, which became the foundation for the world-renowned Negro Ensemble Company. Teer founded the National Black Theatre with the aim of maintaining and developing African American cultural traditions. In 1983, Teer expanded the purpose and vision of the National Black Theatre by purchasing a 64,000 square foot city block of property on 125th Street and Fifth Avenue, creating the first revenue generating black art complex in the country by housing several entrepreneurial businesses.  Teer is included in Who’s Who Worldwide, which recognizes her as a global business leader and has received more than sixty awards and citations.