Barbara Washburn
As a child growing up near Boston in the 1920s, Barbara Washburn didn't anticipate becoming a pioneer in the world of hiking and cartography. However, while working as the Museum's executive secretary, she accepted Brad Washburn's marriage proposal and her fate as an adventurer was sealed.
Shortly after they were married in 1940, Barbara traveled with Brad to Alaska to make the first-ever ascent of Mount Bertha. A year later, the Washburns returned to Alaska and were among the first to climb Mount Hayes. Then in 1947, Barbara — a mother of three children by that point — became the first woman to climb Mount McKinley, an achievement documented in the RKO film, Operation White Tower.
During these expeditions, the climbing teams would move their gear incrementally up the mountain, establishing base camps and coordinating air drops of supplies. It was the type of mountaineering aimed toward exploration and scientific study, rather than rapid ascent. On the Bertha and Hayes expeditions, Barbara and Brad also took surveying flights of the mountains in the area for the purposes of mapping the terrain, and on the McKinley climb, they measured glacier movement.
In later years, Barbara continued to accompany Brad on surveying trips, adding the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, and the Presidential Range to their list of skillfully mapped terrain. 
The Washburns also traveled the world to accept numerous awards in recognition of their contributions to exploration. While home in Boston, Barbara devoted her time to her three children and seven grandchildren. Ever a proponent for teaching and education, she taught remedial reading at the Shady Hill School for 20 years.
Barbara's spirit of adventure continued in 2010 as the first ever virtual climber in the Museum's Washburn Climb. Like her fellow climbers who raised money for the Museum of Science, Barbara is no stranger to the challenge and exhilaration of both reaching the summit and making a difference in science education.