Barbara Ingalls Shook

Ingalls Shook was born on September 28, 1938. Her paternal grandfather, Robert Ingersoll Ingalls Sr. (1882–1951), was the founder of Ingalls Iron Works, the largest privately owned steel manufacturer in the Southern United States, and Ingalls Shipbuilding, the largest shipyard in the Gulf Coast of the United States. She had a sister, Elesabeth Ingalls Gillet, and a step-brother Lathrop Winchester Smith. She graduated from Mount Vernon Seminary and College in Washington, D.C. (which later merged with the George Washington University), with an associate degree in 1958. ==Philanthropy==

She was a noted philanthropist in Birmingham, Alabama, through the Barbara Ingalls Shook Foundation. Her philanthropy extended to healthcare, as she donated to St. Vincent's Birmingham and the Montclair Baptist Medical Center. She was also active in philanthropy in Aspen, Colorado. ==Personal life==

She married Robert Paschal Shook. They had two daughters, Ellen Gregg Shook and Elesabeth Ridgely Shook. They resided in Mountain Brook, Alabama; Aspen, Colorado; and Palm Beach, Florida. In 1969, she survived cancer, but lost a leg through surgery. She walked with an artificial leg for the rest of her adult life. She enjoyed skiing, playing golf and fly-fishing. ==Death==

She died on September 26, 2008, at the age of sixty-nine. Seven years later, the Birmingham Zoo opened a new exhibit named after her known as the Barbara Ingalls Shook Black Bear Trail. It is home to American black bears from Big Sky, Montana. ==References==