‘A love of mountains:’ A granddaughter’s gift from her grandfather

Barbara Kephart Crane’s career as a teacher and a U.S. Department of State administrator introduced her to the world. The Smokies kept luring her back. Granddaughter of revered Smokies writer and conservationist Horace Kephart, Crane died on November 16, 2025. She was 102.

Born Barbara Ann Kephart in 1923, the youngest child of Leonard Kephart and Frances Frazer, she became one of several grandchildren of Horace. A man broken by the pressures of life, Horace Kephart arrived in the Smokies in 1904 to start anew. Over the next two decades, he reclaimed his life and fought for the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “I owe my life to these mountains, and I want them preserved that others might benefit from them as I have,” he asserted.

Adventurer, administrator, and warm-hearted presence
His granddaughter Barbara was a city girl who spent much of her career at the State Department in Washington, DC, living in residential areas near the Capitol. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in home economics but stretched the boundaries of the discipline by completing a minor in business administration.

Early in her career, Barbara worked for architects, was a substitute teacher in Arkansas, then travelled north to teach home economics (and run the cafeteria) at a school in the foothills of the Adirondacks “where we walked to school in –40° weather.” After taking some additional education courses at the University of Maryland, she headed south again to work for Air University in Montgomery, Alabama.

In 1950, she found her professional home in DC, where for 25 years she flourished in her career as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State, focusing on international education and cultural exchange—programs that were in their infancy. Barbara administered projects for US and foreign graduate students, visiting professors and senior researchers, 4-H students and administrators. Known for her warm-hearted approach, Barbara would have graciously welcomed visiting scholars and used her managerial skills to help them navigate administrative and cultural barriers.

In 1971, well into her 40s, Barbara married Howard Crane and in her own words became “instant wife, mother, and grandmother.” She designed her own home in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and with her husband came to call their interior design efforts together “Crane & Crane.”

Barbara was an adventurer—having driven across the continental United States and visited many European countries—but the Smokies often pulled her back, particularly in her later years.

Supporting the Kephart legacy
Barbara’s cousin, Libby Kephart Hargrave, established Kephart Days in 2008 in Bryson City, North Carolina, a gateway community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The annual event (2008–2023) was both a gathering of Kephart descendants and a meet-up of fans and followers of Horace Kephart’s writing and philosophy. In period costumes, classic campers demonstrated campfire cooking techniques following Kephart recipes; naturalists led walks featuring Smokies wildflowers; and family members donated Kephart memorabilia, photographs, and documents, some discovered in their attics.

In 2009, Barbara began attending Kephart Days, where she was both an important participant and a significant presence. In 2023, Kephart Days featured two main events. First, a ceremony was held for the installation of companion markers at the Bryson City cemetery for Laura, Horace Kephart’s wife, and his friend, George Masa, both of whom had expressed a wish to be interred adjacent to Horace. The second event was a birthday celebration for Barbara, who was turning 100. “Barbara enjoyed life—every day. She brought joy to all around her for she was so very kind and thoughtful,” said her cousin Libby.

Barbara was also generous. In 2022, she established an endowment for Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library and made annual contributions to the endowment, which now totals $125,000. The Barbara Kephart Crane Endowment supports the Special and Digital Collections of Hunter Library, including the largest and most significant archive of Horace Kephart materials in existence.

Barbara and Libby shared a passion for preserving family history. This passion has resulted in outstanding new contributions of Masa photos, Kephart family correspondence, and unique memorabilia to Hunter Library, the Mountain Heritage Center in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and the Collections Preservation Center of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Barbara visited Special Collections at WCU regularly.

“She was a kind, generous person with a great memory and a sharp wit,” said Jason Brady, library specialist at Hunter. The endowment she established “will help us fulfill our mission in perpetuity.”

George Frizzell, former archivist at Hunter, believes Barbara was a “godsend” for WCU’s Special Collections and appreciated her commitment to family and historical research. “She shared Kephart history and her story. Without her, there would have been no complete Kephart history, certainly not his personal life,” asserted Frizzell.

In an interview with Blue Ridge Public Radio, Barbara stated that Horace Kephart instilled in her a love of mountains and the importance of cherishing our natural resources. What better legacy could a grandfather give to his grandchild?