Twenty-one years ago I changed my name from Barbara Owsley to Bonnie Austin.
I've decided to go back to my original name of Barbara on my 51st birthday,
which is tomorrow, August 15. I'd thought about going back to the full name,
but I tried it out on a couple of people and got the same reactions I
remember from all those years before: "What? How do you spell that?" and so
forth. (the reason I chose Austin as a last name 21 years ago was because I
was moving to Austin, and I figured everyone would know how to spell it)
So I've decided to use Lamar, another of my family names. My great
grandmother Annette Crenshaw Lamar was one of my most valuable role models,
although I didn't know it at the time. She was old by the time I was up and
about, but I remember her as being curious and energetic and happy. It was
Annette who taught me to read when I was a little girl (and also taught me
some French, which by now I've mostly forgotten--she and my grandmother
always wanted me to be able to read Victor Hugo's novels in the original
language, which is something I have yet to do).
Barbara Lamar
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