pioneering Chicago one who died late last year.

Not only is she the mother of another familiar Chicago and Valerie Jarrett, but Barbara Taylor Bowman also descended from history makers like her grandfather, who was the first African-American to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

So it's no wonder she, too, would forge her own path in a different direction, creating and nurturing the field of early education.

Here's a look at the life of Barbara Taylor Bowman.

>> This is my parents wedding album.

They were married in 1950, here in Chicago.

The Bowman wedding album just one volume of a family history that spans generations can tell that the test of time.

This is my grandfather, Robert Taylor, after whom the Robert Taylor.

>> Holmes was named.

>> Taylor's daughter Barbara Taylor.

Bowman is among those history makers, as is her own daughter, Valerie Jarrett.

>> My mother had an extraordinary life and she has been my role model since I was born.

She managed to do the mighty jungle as I call it extraordinary in the field early childhood education, but also making time for her first priority, which is her family.

>> Born in 1928, Barbara Taylor grew up under the unwritten laws of Jim Crow.

She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1950, and the University of Chicago in 1952.

With a master's in education.

She married Jarrett's father, Dr. James Bowman, who would later become the first black tenured position at the University of Chicago in the beginning, though, he struggled to find work as a doctor in the U.S.

So the young couple moved to Iran.

How crazy was that for them to move to Iran in the mid-fifties to didn't know the language they've never been.

>> Further than one trip to Europe, they didn't know anything about the culture.

was offering my father an opportunity that was not available to them here in the United States.

And they both had this kind of.

Curious spirit and adventuresome spirit.

And he said, let's go.

She said absolutely.

>> Later after their daughter was born, the couple would return to the states.

And Barbara Bowman would pursue her passion.

>> She loves young children.

There isn't a young comes within 20 feet of my mom who is going to have that child grabbed him, put in her lap and holder clothes.

She just marvel at them.

>> With her experience as a preschool teacher.

She was inspired to co-found the Erikson Institute in 1966. along with 3 others.

Psychologist Murray appears social worker, Lorraine Wallach and businessman Irving Harris.

The group recognize that most preschool teachers weren't prepared to meet the needs of children from under-resourced communities.

>> And this institution was founded with the idea of making sure that the most does invested communities, children and families have high quality teachers who understood child development.

How children develop social, mostly how children develop cognitively help children develop in terms of language.

>> Bowman remained a teacher and mentor Erickson until the end.

>> Barber was always very hopeful, but also very action-oriented.

She had very high expectations for herself and very high expectations for everyone else.

One of the things that I appreciate about her is that she praise publicly and critique privately.

>> Soto Manning describes Bowman as a fierce advocate for what she believed in.

>> I remember Valerie talking about how there was an event that their home.

And President Barack Obama was going to be there and how she bagged Barbara and not to ask him for early childhood funding and she opens this study door and she was there with President Barack Obama insisting on more funding for early childhood education.

So that's what I mean.

The 2 was relentless shown.

Some of that influence landed with Governor JB Pritzker who started the state's first department early education in 2024.

>> He's a personal hero of mine.

And that's the great Barbara Bowman.

>> As you know, she is one of the co-founders of Erickson and a giant in the field of early childhood education.

And you have no doubt spent the past few years of your life poring over some of her work and soaking in an infinite number of lessons that she has left us.

>> And those lessons were sought-after until the day she died.

My mom was 96 when she died.

The morning that she died.

A colleague from Ericsson came over to get advice.

>> And I remember standing in the kitchen, listening to my mother go through like 4003002001.5 of what the colleagues should do and she died a few hours later.

>> For as much as Bowman was the guiding light for Ericsson.

She also was for her family.

My mom became the matriarch of this family we came together because she called us together and certainly for her daughter, Valerie.

And she certainly lived this, by example.

The question isn't, you know, do have it all in the first chapter.

The question is chapters of the book in life and up to a home.

When you look back.

And you know, did you love?

people love to you?

Did you make strong relationships?

Did you follow your passion you make an impact, she often tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.

And I will miss that.

But I'm hoping that that voice just stays in my head because by now, I know if she think the right thing