Barbara Tolbert Miley

Barbara Tolbert Miley commenced a life-long passion for ancient history and archaeology at Clark grade school in Vincennes through the encouragement of her sixth grade teacher, Cora Wall. These childhood dreams later would become hands-on archaeological adventures in the Middle East.

Babs, as she is known to friends, worked for 10 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s with archaeologists on digs in Israel - first as a volunteer and later as a staff cataloger and registrar for ancient pottery material culture discovered during the digs.

She served two terms on the board of trustees of the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, an international research center with headquarters in Jerusalem. The institute facilitates research in archaeology, ancient history, epigraphy, and related fields in the ancient Near East. She has written and published two books on archaeology: Discovering the Old Testament and Discovering Daily Life in Bible Times.

Babs was born in Vincennes and is a 1952 graduate of Lincoln High School. During her senior year she was editor of Lincoln Log yearbook, a member of the National Honor Society, and recipient of the DAR Citizenship Award. She was active in the school's marching and concert bands for four years.

She graduated from Vincennes University in 1954 in medical technology and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the scholastic honorary society. From a VU historical perspective she could be called one of the transition students -- those started their college education at the old downtown campus, and were the first class to graduate at the university's present site.

Babs and Art Miley, formerly of Petersburg, were married in 1956. They have four children and seven grandchildren. Since 1969 the family has lived in La Jolla, California, where they owned and managed a Christian book publishing company. Babs is active in the Mt. Soledad Presbyterian Church as a Sunday school teacher and choir member and often travels to Mexico as a volunteer to help build homes for impoverished families. She also has served on the board of trustees of several nonprofit service organizations.