Barbara Cloud was born in Tulare, California. Her father's job kept the family on the move for the first seven years of her life. They eventually settled in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where Barbara attended grade school and high school. After graduation, Barbara applied to three universities and was accepted at all three. She chose Stanford and decided to major in journalism. It was while at Stanford that she also met and married her husband Stan. Stan and Barbara moved to California, where Barbara got a job working on a weekly Sunday supplement. After a year and a half, they returned to Oregon and Barbara decided to get her master's in journalism. She was given a graduate assistantship at the University of Oregon, and completed the degree in two years. In 1969, Stan agreed to accept a post doctoral assignment in Australia, and Barbara found a job with an advertising agency. After six years, the couple returned to Oregon, and Barbara decided to apply to the University of Washington for a PH.D. in journalism. She was admitted, given a graduate assistantship, and completed the work in three years. In 1978, Barbara applied for a journalism position at UNLV. She was hired, and she and Stan moved to Las Vegas in 1979. She built up the journalism program and continued with her research. In 1983, she became department chair, a position she was elected to each year for the next six years. She was the editor of "Journalism History", published her own book, and was associate provost for academic affairs. Barbara is retired today, though still connected with the School of Journalism. She is planning to teach a distance education course.