Christine D. Sarbanes, a retired educator, active board member and wife of former Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, died Sunday of cancer at her Guilford home. She was 73.
"Her life and legacy as a teacher and community servant touched thousands of Marylanders and reminds us all that a life lived for others is the greatest of gifts," Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement Monday. "She believed in the dignity of every individual, and that every person has potential that we, as a community, can unlock through literacy and access to higher learning."
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin said in a statement that Mrs. Sarbanes' death is a "tremendous loss to all those who knew her" and that she had "enormous grace and presence."
He added: "She was extremely likable" and "had an ability to relate to people and make them feel good."
Christine Dunbar was born in London and raised in Brighton, England, the daughter of an electrician and a waitress. After winning a scholarship, she attended Brighton and Hove High School for Girls.
She later earned a bachelor's degree in Literae Humaniores from St. Hugh's College, Oxford University, in 1958, and a master's degree, also from Oxford, in 1974.
It was political activism that brought her and her future husband together, when both were attending Oxford in the late 1950s. He was a Rhodes scholar.
"She came to a meeting of the American Association I headed. I forget what was on the agenda. All I remember of that meeting was that was where I met Christine," Mr. Sarbanes told The Sun in a 1987 interview. "She was involved in trying to get women into the [all-male] Oxford Union, a debating society. I became very interested in that and invited her to tea to talk about it."
Mrs. Sarbanes said in the interview, "People thought it was strange that an American would be so interested in this."
After graduation, she began teaching Latin at Dana Hall School for Girls in Wellesley, Mass.
After marrying in 1960, Mrs. Sarbanes became a lecturer in classics at Goucher College.
In 1974, she left Goucher. After a four-year break, she returned to teaching in 1978, joining the Gilman School faculty, where she continued teaching Latin, Greek and French until retiring in 2000.
Lillian Burgunder, who taught Spanish and art history at Gilman, was a longtime colleague and friend.
"She was a wonderful teacher, and her knowledge of Latin, Greek and ancient civilization was remarkable. She was very intelligent and enthusiastic, and she brought that into the classroom," Mrs. Burgunder said.
