Polly Garbee

Born and raised in Lynchburg, Mary (Polly) Barksdale Garbee graduated from St. Catherine’s School in Richmond before earning a Bachelor of Arts from Hollins College in 1959. While at Hollins she spent a year on Hollins Abroad, studying at the Sorbonne in Paris.  In 1970 she received a Masters in Education in Reading  from Lynchburg College.

Shortly after her return from from Paris, she met Robert H. Garbee who had spent a year in Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship after he graduated from UVA School of Architecture. Interest in things French became a permanent part of their lives. She and Bob (deceased in March 2023) were married at St. John’s Episcopal Church in 1960.  An architect, Bob worked several years with Clark, Nexson and Owen, before joining the firm of J. Everette Fauber, Jr. In time that became the firm of Fauber Garbee, Inc. After retiring from the firm in 1986, he had an active independent practice.

Following college and prior to starting a family, Polly taught fourth grade in Lynchburg for three years, interrupted by one-semester teaching English and French at E. C. Glass High School. Polly and Bob had three sons. Their first son, A.D. Barksdale Garbee, died of crib death when less than two months old. Their second son, A.D. Barksdale Garbee II, and his wife live in Colorado. Their third son, W. Cabell Garbee II, lives in Raleigh. Polly has two grandchildren. Dr. Elizabeth Garbee lives in Maryland where she teaches at Holton Arms. Robert Garbee lives near Detroit where he works for General Motors

Once the children were in school, Polly taught for twenty-two years in Bedford County, half that time at Liberty High School teaching reading, the other half at Jefferson Forest teaching French and English. Polly claims that teaching French was a wonderful excuse to return annually to Paris as she needed to renew her fluency in French.