Barbara Marshall, KC arts patron and daughter of Hallmark Cards founder, dies at 97
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Barbara Marshall, longtime supporter of Kansas City’s arts and daughter of the iconic Hallmark Card company’s founding family, died last week of natural causes. She was 97.
Marshall was one of three children born to Hallmark founder Joyce C. Hall and his wife Elizabeth Hall. She spent more than 50 years working with the greeting card company through several roles, including helping its product review committee.
Beyond her family name, Marshall became a well-recognized philanthropist among Kansas City’s arts community. She contributed to The Kansas City Art Institute financially and as a member of its board of trustees for decades, Tony Jones, the institute’s president, said in a statement.
“As one of Kansas City’s legendary philanthropists, Barbara made an enormous difference in the lives of so many in our community,” Jones said.
In 1982, Marshall opened up the doors of what is now known as the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, which she co-founded with childhood friend Mary Harris Francis. The museum has become nationally recognized for its large collection of toys.
Petra Kralickova, the museum’s executive director, said in a statement that Marshall “will always be remembered for her love of art.”
“The museum’s fine-scale miniature galleries highlight the legacy of Mrs. Marshall’s love of miniatures and the people who created them,” Kralickova said. We are honored to continue Mrs. Marshall’s passion for sharing fine scale miniatures with the public through this unique collection, programs, and exhibits.”
Born in 1923 as the second child of the Hall family, Marshall grew up in the area and later graduated from the University of Kansas in 1945. In 1949, she married her late husband Robert A. Marshall, an area lawyer and business executive. Robert Marshall died in 1983.
She began working for Hallmark as a member of its card department in its downtown department store in 1948. Her contributions, however, started much earlier.
Marshall began helping Hallmark as a child, according to an obituary shared by the company, by helping her father look over card designs from the family’s dining room table.
Donald Hall Jr., Marshall’s nephew and the executive chairman of the board, said in a statement Monday that his grandfather recognized her “natural talent for knowing which designs would strike an emotional chord with consumers.”
“She had such a finely tuned sense of the consumer, combined with a sharp eye for quality,” Hall added. “Being able to tap into such a resource for so many years was a wonderful asset for Hallmark.”
In 1998, the company established an annual reward for its employees named for Marshall to commemorate her 50 year anniversary of working with the Hallmark brand. The Barbara Marshall Award gives one of Hallmark’s senior artists or writers a six-month sabbatical for independent study aimed toward fostering inspiration and creativity among its employees.
Marshall received several accolades for her contributions to the arts community. Among them was the Missouri Arts Award presented by former Gov. Matt Blunt in 2006 recognizing her support of artists and the arts.
Marshall is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth Marshall, Margaret Silva and Barbara Jo Marshall; her brother Donald J. Hall; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
