Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / March 22, 1979, edition 1 / Page 9
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d. but esaful imply s bid, in t ceeds nd for lages. ap. rown, ell & I ^ will t coat rhere d the The "Flying Nun..." The "Singing Nun..." ...From Belmont ct all 1 for notea n the lent narle Jorth lelgh. [ENT elgh. • ^ oust. ;^om * #' by DWIGHT FRADY Sister Barbara Sullivan is IMone of those rare, unforgel- ^ table people you meet along life’s way. in her office at Sacred Heart Convent, the Motherhouse of The Sisters *of Mercy, Sister Barbara Vdiscussed her life. It was an interview filled with philosophy, nostalgia and wit. Part of her wit: “My life is an open book. I doubt if ^ anyb^y wants to read it.” W “My life is also historical. Or, hysterical.” Sister Barbara was the first nun to run for^ and be ele^ed to a political Office in # North Carolina. She is a member of the Belmont City Council. She is full of energy and always on the go. Some call her “Belmont’s Flying Nun.” Because she plays the piano and sings, some call her ’The {jjl Singing Nun.” * And yet. Sister Barbara considers herself fortunate just to be alive today. Thirteen years ago this past March 11, she became a ^ “cancer statistic,” as she puts • it. She had several opera tions. It was serious. She recovered. “I’ve also had a couple of back operations,” she said. “But you know, all of the adversity in my life has helped make me a better per son. “I had a wonderful home life. We had so much love. That’s why I want to give it back. I have discovered, however, that people have to let you love them. It is so hard to reach some. “As for my battle with cancer, I just feel that God gave me another chance. He left me here for a purpose. I have a desire to aid others. “I've traveled a great deal during the past nine years.” Although born in Mississippi, Sister Barbara was raised in Charlotte. Sister Barbara’s sister, Mrs. Ann Hackney, fives at Sherbrooke Drive in Charlotte. The number one person in Sister Barbara’s life was her mother, the late Julia Jamison. MADE RECORDING “Before she passed away in 1972, I made a recording for her. I sang and played the piano on a record 1 made especially for her,” said Sister Barbara. “My mother enjoyed it so much. It made me very happy too. “I enjoy piano and sing ing. Mostly, it's church music. However, I like classical and semi-classical music too. Sister Barbara said that serving on the city council in Belmont was extremely ex citing for her. “I get to meet more peo ple,’ she said, “and I enjoy serving tl . people. 1 certain ly have no more px)litical aspirations. I just want to serve the community. “I don't think people realize the hours of work Ci ty Manager Carl Howie and everybody else on the coun cil puts into their work. I have a lot of admiration and respect for every person on the council. “Belmont’s such a wonderful place in which to live. It’s especially beautiful in springtime.” In addition to serving on the Belmont City Council, Sister Barbara is active in many other organizations. She is in her second term on the Diocesan Board of Education of Charlotte. She was reelected to the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart College. She was recently ap pointed to a three-year term by the Gaston County Com mission to serve on the ad visory board for the Gaston County Council on Aging. She is on the advisory board of “Highlights For Children” magazine. In 1966, Sister Barbara sccooooooooeooooocoo LIVING TODAY MIRROR-HERALD aooocoooooooocooopooooooooooooo<oo^^^*^^^^^ AT THE PIANO - SUI«r Barbara Sullivan at Sacr#d H^art Convent, sits down at the piano. Sister Barbara, a member of the Belmont City Council. is an excellent piano player and singer. Music plays a big part In her life. was named Supervisor of Schools for The Sisters of Mercy of Belmont. REGISTERED NURSE A* registered nurs^. Sister Barbara has been in Belmont since 1949, There were in terludes at other places. She was the operating room supervisor at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville in 1952-53. She was with Mer cy Hospital in Charlotte in 1950-51, then again from the fall of 1953 until 1956. “1 was in and out as either an orthopedic, medical, or surgical supervisor,” she said. “Going back in my life, I didn’t have a Catholic background,” she said. “I was only 12 years old when I attended St. Peter’s in Charlotte and was baptized a Catholic. “At that time, my mother said. ‘Barbara, don't get any ideas, about becoming a nun'.” PIANO AND VOICE “I attended Salem College in Winston-Salem for two years. 1 studied piano and voice. I didn’t want to make it my profession. I just en joyed it. “I applied at Mercy Hospital for nurses training in the Cadet program in 1944. My mother was in the Air Force. In fact, my entire family was in the service during World War 11. “I chose to go into the Navy at Chelsea, Mass. I ap plied for my commission in 1947 and it came through in 1948 in Washington, D.C. “I was in training as a nurse from the years 194447 at Mercy. I was a student at Sacred Heart in the fourth, fifth and eighth grades. While in the seventh grade, I joined the church. During 194447, I was closest to the sisters here. I was somewhat of a ‘rascal’,” said Sister Barbara, smiling. “We had some good times. I’ve lived a good life.” Sister Barbara said she wanted to go into the Navy badly. “While at Chelsea, I began to become more and more attracted to both the Navy life and the Religious life. “I was active in both. It (the Navy) was a regimented life, but I was active socially. I think the regimented life I led helped me in my final A MOMENT OF PRAYER - Sister Bar bara Sullivan takes time lor prayer at Sacred Heart Convent, the Motherhouse of The Sisters ol Mercy. Sister Barbara was the first nun to run lor, end be elected to, a political office in North Carolina. She is a member ol the Belmont City Council. (Photo by Dwight Frady) decision to enter Religious life. “My group was preparing to leave for Guam and Tokyo in 1949. It was, in my cas^ ‘either-or.’ I was discharged from the service in August of 1949. “I know I would have stayed in the service if I had gone to Tokyo. I had talked with Mother Superior six months before for spiritual direction. Incidentally, 1 did a lot of skiing in New Hamsphire around that lime. HAS NO REGRETS “I took the plunge into becoming a nun. 1 have ab solutely no regrets. I was 24 years old when 1 entered. I’ve led a full life,” said Sister Barbara. “There were 12 of us received in 1950. W'e werePostuIants for a year. We received our while veils in 1950, our temporary VOW'S in 1952, then our perpetual vows in 1955. “I think the movie ‘The Sound of Music' really told the true -story of the nun. Maria, played by Julie An drews, had time to think about it. It’s not something you’re rushed into.” Sister Barbara lived and worked in Washington from 1970-72. She traveled exten sively during that time. Prior to that, she did her masters work at the Univer sity of North Carolina in 1965. She became a Tar Heel sports fan then. She has corresponded with Dean Smith, Tar Heel basketball coach. In the NCAA Tournament last year, she mentioned to Smith in a letter: “Don’t let those Irish (Notre Dame) beat you on St. Patrick's Day.” Smith wrote her a nice let ter after the season had been completed. “We had a lot of funny times at UNC in ’65,” she said, “We wore our old habit back then. We virtually in vaded the campus. We were put into a men's dorm. 1 here we were, a bunch of nuns. “We would get the fun niest calls. Guys would call and ask for dates. One of the sisters had to say three times one night, ‘This Is SISTER Mary.’ The phone went ‘bang* when the caller got the message. “1 was in a class with 15 men — 14 men, a nun and a black lady. They thought it w as against our vow s to be spoken to. 1 think we woke up a lot of folks while we were there.” she said with a grin. Sister Barbara loves peo ple. She especially loves children. “My sister has three of them,” she said. “1 ihink to day's kids arc wonderful, just as they were so many years ago. W e used to have some glorious limes going to the Knights of Columbus Tournamcni. LOVES BASKETBALL “It was a basketball tour nament for our young students. I eat and sleep basketball and it really hurt when Carolina lost to Penn in the Eastern Regionals recently in Raleigh. “I remember one year when we won the stale championship in the Knights of Columbus Tournament. I was in the lead car going down to the tournament in Greensboro. “It was a case of ‘follow that nun,’ since I was sup posed to know which way to go. We got on a one-way street in Greensboro and everybody followed me. “I turned right around on that one-way street, and so did the cars that followed. “Tom Knowles, who had a son playing on the team,, said, ‘boy, a nun can gel away with anything, can’t she?"* “Some of today's youngsters have it a little tougher. Some can't cope w iih peer pressure. There's a lot for us to leach and a lot for them to learn by their parents and their teachers at school. “I’ve got a lot of hope and faith in youngsters. 1 see something to give them ... bavic faith and values for the life system. “They must see the leader ship and examples in us. We must be the good infiuencc." Sister Barbara, who went from nursing to education after two back op)eraiions, says she never wants to get away from music. “Music fits into the pat tern of my life,” she said. “It's very rewarding.” Call Sister Barbara “The Flying Nun.” Call her “The Singing Nun.” But call her, if you want her in proper perspective, “one of Belmont’s most beautiful people.” WITH THE CHILDREN - Sister Bar bara Sullivan, who loves children, is shown with a couple ol Sacred Heart Grade School children as they prepare to watch a Him. In Iront is Shannon Rumlelt. who is in the lirst grade. Behind Shannon is Paco Aii- corbe. who is in the lourth grade.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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March 22, 1979, edition 1
9
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