Barbara Harmelink
Barbara Mary Conibear Harmelink was born on January 23, 1929, in Ningpo, China, to English missionary parents. After moving to the United States in 1936 and later settling in Birmingham, England, she graduated with honors in history from the University of Birmingham in 1952. Harmelink began her career in education, teaching history at various schools, including the Kingsley School for Girls and Selhurst Grammar School for Girls in Surrey. In 1959, she married Reverend Herman A. Harmelink III, and the couple eventually moved to New Jersey and New York, where Harmelink was involved in church activities and served on boards within the Reformed Church in America.
In addition to her teaching career, Harmelink was also an accomplished writer, with her notable works including "Florence Nightingale: Founder of Modern Nursing," which provided a nuanced and realistic portrayal of Nightingale. She completed a master’s degree at Long Island University and worked as a research librarian until her retirement in 1998. Harmelink was engaged in various community activities and also traveled to South Africa for a leadership program. She passed away on August 12, 2002, in Poughkeepsie, New York.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Barbara Harmelink
Writer
- Born: January 23, 1929
- Birthplace: Ningpo, China
- Died: August 12, 2002
- Place of death: Poughkeepsie, New York
Biography
Barbara Mary Conibear Harmelink was born on January 23, 1929, in Ningpo, China, to English parents. Her father, Albert Allan Conibear, the son of a clergyman, was a minister. He and her mother, Florence Evelyn Searle Conibear, performed missionary work in Asia while Harmelink and her older brother were young children. They continued residing in Ningpo for several years.
In April, 1936, seven-year-old Barbara boarded the President Lincoln with her family and sailed from Shanghai to New York City, arriving the next month. They then traveled to England and resided at Birmingham. Conibear’s father returned to New York in April, 1937. Conibear, her mother, and her brother followed him on the President Roosevelt during the summer of 1937, traveling from Southampton, England, to the United States. Conibear next accompanied her family to their home in Birmingham, where she attended local schools, graduating from Trinity Hall.
In 1952, Conibear completed a bachelor’s of arts degree in history with honors at the University of Birmingham. She received a Certificate of Education the following year. Starting in 1953, Conibear taught at the Kingsley School for Girls at Horley in Surrey, England. She served as head of that school’s history department until 1955. Conibear then taught history at the Selhurst Grammar School for Girls at Croydon in Surrey through the 1959 school term. She bettered her classical Spanish guitar skills at London’s Guildhall School of Music and sang with London’s Royal Choral Society.
She married Reverend Herman A. Harmelink III on August 11, 1959, at Austin Friars, England. They had one son and one daughter. Harmelink moved to Glenrock, New Jersey, where her husband officiated at the Community Church. She then lived in Woodcliff-on-Hudson, New Jersey, while her husband was the Woodcliff Community Church preacher, moving to Poughkeepsie, New York, when her husband was the Reformed Church’s minister there. Harmelink served on the Reformed Church in America’s Board of World Missions. From 1972 to 1975, she oversaw the Reformed Church Weekday Nursery. Harmelink participated on the Japanese International Christian University’s women’s committee.
Harmelink completed a master’s degree at Long Island University. She worked for the Mid-Hudson Library Systems as a research librarian, retiring in 1998. She belonged to Poughkeepsie’s Center for Life Time Studies. Harmelink stayed in South Africa several weeks when she and her husband participated in a leadership program. She died on August 12, 2002, at Poughkeepsie, New York.
Harmelink initiated her writing career by preparing material for religious publications, including a program book that Half Moon Press published in 1965 and A White Christmas Worship Service, which Japan International Christian University issued that year. Four years later, she published Florence Nightingale: Founder of Modern Nursing, which critics noted depicted Nightingale realistically. Harmelink presented an accurate, balanced portrayal of Nightingale and her peers, acknowledging both strengths and flaws, describing Nightingale being frustrated and angered by people and conditions which impeded her humanitarian efforts. Harmelink’s critical analysis differed from the positive tone and emphasis on heroics of many contemporary biographies written for children.