91̽��

Susan Barclay teaching in the Saturday Course.

The 91̽�� community is mourning the loss of Susan Barclay, a life-changing educator who devoted 47 years to teaching in 91̽��’s Saturday Course. Susan passed away last month at the age of 66.

Susan was one of the first faculty members of the program, which invites area public-school students to 91̽�� for exciting enrichment classes. Her inspiring “Blood and Guts” anatomy and physiology class was famous among Saturday Course attendees, many of whom went on to pursue the sciences in higher education and careers in medicine. Her colleagues, friends, and students remember Susan for her quick wit and dedication to teaching—she made sure that her signature class would continue after she left the program, training colleagues to teach it. 

Saturday Course Director Kristan Burke recalls Susan’s warm friendship and care for her students. “She loved teaching—she adored the Saturday Course as much as we adored her,” Kristan says. “She was witty and exuberant about life—so much fun to be with. She will be forever embedded in the roots of the program.”

Susan represented all that is wonderful about the Saturday Course—the long-time service of the dedicated teachers who engage and inspire the eager elementary- and middle-school students from all over Greater Boston, says program Assistant Director Elizabeth Mulready. “She’s made such a clear impact on so many, and her class is one that students always remember. She is and always will be the heart (and brains and eyes and blood and guts) of the Saturday Course.”

Susan’s larger-than-life presence blended “intelligence, irreverence, and unwavering dedication,” Saturday Course teacher Robert Sturtevant says. “As a mentor and educator, she had the rare ability to shift perspectives and transform lives, earning her the admiration of the Saturday Course community. Her legacy will continue to resonate for generations to come, a testament to the power of one person to make a profound difference.”

Directors of the Saturday Course from 1978 to today gathered in April 2024 to celebrate Susan Barclay, who taught in the program for 47 years. From left: Olga Mahoney, Linda Stikeleather, Annette Raphel, Susan Barclay, Gary Shrager, Marcia Trook, and Kristan Burke.

Tom Gagnon, a 91̽�� Science Department teacher and Saturday Course educator, says: “Susan believed in every one of her students. Her idea that ‘all students are gifted, and that they simply unwrap their packages at different times’ was her mantra. Her classroom was one where all students were given a chance to learn. She brought optimism, encouragement, and a contagious desire to show and teach her students to think independently, creatively, and critically. She had a huge heart for her students and her craft.”

In addition to her work at 91̽��, Susan taught in several Massachusetts public school systems and volunteered for more than three decades at the Boston Marathon. 

The Saturday Course was founded in 1977 by Elizabeth “Betty” Greenleaf Buck, who envisioned using the physical and academic resources of 91̽�� to offer advanced courses to children in Greater Boston. Today, 1,000 students representing 100 public schools in the area come to 91̽�� on Saturdays throughout the academic year and study everything from science to computer programming, to dance, photography, social studies, trial court, art, and much more.