Agonia, Barbara, 1934-

Barbara Agonia was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1934. She graduated from Hanover College in southern Indiana in 1957 with a double major in English and speech/theater. Barbara taught English, speech, and theater in Illinois. In 1969, Barbara moved to Las Vegas where her sister lived and enrolled in a master's degree program in English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As she was completing her degree in 1971, she was hired by the Clark County Community College, which is now the College of Southern Nevada. Barbara did public speaking on behalf of the college, taught composition and literature, and eventually became chair of the English department. She became actively involved in rape crisis education and helped establish a Women's Center on the community college campus in 1980. Barbara also became involved in the Soroptimist International organization for business and professional women. She also became involved in the Friends of the Nevada Wilderness. As a representative for Soroptimist International, she traveled to Washington, DC, to lobby and testify in front of the Senate for the establishment of Great Basin National Park.