Suzanne Barchers’ life has taken so many wonderful academic and travel turns, and now she’s landed here in Lowry. She’s an energetic, smart, amazing woman whose musical skills, educational highlights, and travel opportunities have put her in touch with the wide world of education, music, and life. She handed me a flyer to attend a Fete de la Musique in her home in late May featuring music, musicians and a reception. How does she manage all of this? “Plan, plan, plan.” And her many plans have taken her on a whirlwind life.
Suzanne’s father was a preacher who moved his family of three daughters around the country starting up new parishes and building communities. She was born in Oakland, then the family moved from Norwalk, CA, to Knoxville, Iowa. His last church was in Pekin, Illinois, and at eight, she lived in a “pocket” neighborhood surrounded on four sides by the Illinois River, corn fields, factories, and the power company. She remembers playing in the river and creek and learned to shoot thanks to the neighborhood boys. “I attended a different elementary school every year and two different junior highs. We were bussed wherever there was room for us. I learned to meet new kids and at home we all played musical instruments.”
Starting with piano at age seven – she still plays today – and also excelling with the flute, she was in the high school band working with Larry Fogelberg, father of Dan Fogelberg. Larry Fogelberg was famous for working with students. “He was such a mentor for me, guiding me into the love of music and all that it would give me – and me to it.” She began college at Illinois Wesleyan University as a music major and then moved on to Eastern Illinois University graduating early with a degree in early childhood education.
She started teaching first graders, married a high school sweetheart and then followed him around the U.S. with his military assignments after he was drafted. They returned to Corvallis, Oregon, so that her husband could complete his Ph.D. and she could earn a master’s in education. A job took them to Arvada, CO, where her husband was a chemical engineer at Amax (Climax Molybdenum Mine). By then they had two boys and she became a stay-at-home mom -which was a good change for her – for a while.
She began playing her flute with a classical guitarist, which led to the position of principal flutist at the Arvada Center and the avocation soon became a real vocation. She taught piano and flute lessons in her home until she began working at a private school while pursuing her doctoral degree in education at CU. After completing her Ed.D., she taught in Park Hill, while working on her first book for the education market. Thanks to professors who continued to mentor her, she was asked to write her first college textbook. She left public school teaching and worked as education director at the Denver Children’s Museum and with her insight into learning and activities, worked her magic on the young visitors. This part time position provided her with more flexibility to write. One day a publisher called her and asked if she would consider becoming their acquisitions editor, and her life changed.
In the publishing world, she became someone who “knew curriculum” while attending conferences, looking for authors to publish for Denver-based Teachers Idea Press/Libraries Unlimited, her first publisher. A big move came with a job as managing editor at The Weekly Reader that many of us grew up reading. As an empty nester, she lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and soon found herself single, while immersing herself in all that life offered close to New York City.
Throughout these years, Suzanne continued writing books for the education market. She was asked to submit writing samples to LeapFrog, a new educational toy company. They liked her first story, and she soon had 30 books with them. These were part of the LeapPad program, which can still be purchased twenty years later.
“After many years of teaching various ages of younger students, I knew what they wanted to read: stories with rhyme, rhythm, repetition and a surprise ending.” She eventually left Weekly Reader to become Editor in Chief and Vice President of LeapFrog, in the Bay Area, her final full-time job.
A second marriage took her to Stanford University with her new husband to that “rarified air” and more connections in education. She worked with LeVar Burton, curating his virtual children’s library, served on the advisory board for PBS Kids for ten years, and was very well connected in the world of education, publications and learning styles. Publishers would ask her to develop entire learning programs, and her projects involved writing dozens of books, finally totaling more than 300 books and jingles, winning awards for many.
After the death of her second husband, she moved back to Colorado to be closer to family. But she wasn’t done with the world of education. She began helping a startup in Madrid called Lingokids, developing their curriculum and setting up their educational advisory board. She often wrote the songs and lyrics for their app, such as “Get Me a Hat” that can be heard on YouTube. Lingokids was voted the #1 learning app in 2022 and 2023 and at the heart of many educational books and publications, you can see Suzanne’s fingerprints.
She’s now interested in travel especially with one or several of her five grandchildren. “I like buying a lot of Colorado souvenirs at Safeway and take handfuls of Colorado key chains to give out overseas. The children learn that it’s a great way to meet people and thank them for a tour. Life and travel are one big educational forum.”
Her life has been nicely planned through music, teaching, writing, publishing, traveling, putting on salons at her house, and collecting art and flutes and friends. Her move to Lowry six years ago has put her in contact with a whole new list of friends. She likes the social networking out here, the younger (and older) demographics, watching children walk to school, and eating at Cafe Mercato. “There’s so much life out here.” I sense she’d be happy wherever she landed. Her musical/education/travel plans of life have certainly fulfilled her – and generations of children.
Meet Your Lowry Neighbors is a monthly feature written by our intrepid reporter Sally Kurtzman, who knows everyone in our community. If you have a suggestion for a Meet Your Lowry Neighbors, please send us an email to connect@lowryunitedneighborhoods.org.