Yolanda Barco: Titan of Women’s History in Crawford County (and Beyond)

Yolanda Barco

Yolanda Barco was a massive figure in 20th century legal, business, and women’s history pioneer in Crawford County. From being a cable television pioneer to an impressive legal career, and so much more – our staff was preparing an article on her life…until we ran across her obituary. We decided, rather than trying to concisely tell her story, that it might be best told as she wished everyone to remember her – as an inspiration for future generations of Crawford County residents, and young women everywhere!

Tribute to Yolanda Barco on PCN’s 75th Anniversary of Cable

Obituary for Yolanda Barco, published in May 2000

Yolanda G. Barco, 74, of 415 Chestnut St., Meadville, died Saturday, May 27, 2000, at her residence. She was born in Meadville, March 13, 1926, a daughter of George J. and Emmaline DeLorenzo Barco. She was a 1943 graduate of Meadville High School and valedictorian of her class, a member of the National Honor Society and named one of the six outstanding members of the senior class.

A 1946 graduate of Allegheny College, she was class salutatorian, earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude with honors in economics, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the national honors fraternity, during her junior year. A 1949 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, she was a member of the board of editors of the Pittsburgh Law Review.
She also received an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters from Allegheny in 1994.

She began practicing law in Meadville Jan. 3, 1950, joining her father, George J. Barco, in the law firm of Barco and Barco. She specialized in civil trials and engaged in administrative, corporate, commercial and communications law as well as estate planning and probate. After her father’s death Nov. 15, 1989, she continued to practice law under the firm’s name.
In addition to Crawford County Courts, she was admitted to practice before Pennsylvania’s Supreme and Superior courts. Barco served as general counsel for a number of firms in the Crawford County area.

She was assistant general counsel for the Pennsylvania Community Antenna Television Association Inc. (now Pennsylvania Cable & Telecommunications Association) from 1956 to 1980. She and her father represented cable television industry interests in a successful legal challenge of the federal excise tax in the 1950s. They also represented the industry in municipal franchise, pole attachment, regulatory and copyright matters. She was one of four cable industry representatives named to an Federal Communications Commission’s advisory committee in 1972, to help develop cable regulatory policy. Her position of being against municipal regulation of cable television was followed later in deregulatory actions taken by the FCC.

A member of the Crawford County Bar Association, she served as chair of its public service committee from 1955 to 1964; association president, 1964 to 1966; chair of its budget committee, 1967 to 1978; and chair of its continuing legal education committee, 1977 to 1984.

The local association honored her for 50 years of service to the association and community in January of this year. She was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and a member of its House of Delegates from 1966 to 1969; a member of the American Bar Association; a member of the board of directors, a member of the hearing committee for the disciplinary board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from 1978 to 1983.

A nationally recognized pioneer in cable television, she was the first general manager of Meadville Master Antenna from its start in 1953 until 1959. In 1959, she became its executive vice president and treasurer, holding those posts until 1987 when MMA was merged with Armstrong Communications Inc. In its early years, MMA was one of the largest cable systems in the country and has been a leader in development and utilization of cable television. She was a member, secretary and later vice president of the board of directors of Armstrong Communications Inc. from 1966 to 1998; a member of the board of directors of the National Cable Television Association from 1967 to 1970 and was the first woman elected to its board of directors.

In 1957 she was one of the organizers of the Pennsylvania Community Antenna Television Association Inc., serving on its -board of directors from 1957 to 1979 and as president in 1963, 1964 and 1965. In 1963, during her presidency with the state association, it received the national association’s Halo Award for work in the public interest. It was for PTA’s construction and donation of a cable television system to serve Polk State School and Hospital which has 3,200 patients and 968 staff members.

She was elected a member of Cable Television Pioneers, a national cable organization, in 1967.

In 1973, she was recipient of the first Idell Kaitz Memorial Award of the National Cable Television Association for the woman who made the most significant contribution to the advancement of the cable television industry. In 1979, she was one of the organizers of Pennsylvania Educational Communications Systems which runs Pennsylvania Cable Network — a nonprofit public affairs programming cable work. She was a member of its board of directors since 1979, served its vice president 1979 to 1989; its president 1989 to 1999; executive officer 1982 to 1999; and chairman emeritus since 1999. Barco had been a member of the board of directors of the National Cable Television Center and Museum since 1987 and member and treasurer of the board of directors of Penn-Net Inc. since 1987.

She also had numerous public service activities. She was a member of the board of directors of the United Way of Western Crawford County Inc. since 1955, serving as its president in 1964 and 1965 and chairman of its budget committee from 1960 to 1963; a member of the board of directors of Meadville Library, Art and Historical Association from 1959 to 1980; elected to three terms on Meadville City Council, serving 1968 to 1980 and was deputy mayor from 1976 to 1980. In 1982, she was an organizer of Meadville Downtown Hotel Inc., doing business as the David Mead Inn. She served as a member, vice president and later president of its board of directors from 1982 to 1996. She was a member of the board of visitors of the School of Law at Pitt since 1987. She was a member of Pitt’s board of trustees since 1990 and was elected as charter trustee in 1993; a member of its executive committee from 1992 to 1996; and elected as emerita trustee in 1997.

She served as chairman of the board of visitors of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh from 1993 to 1996. She had been president of the Barco-Duratz Foundation, a private charitable foundation since its inception in 1987. A member of the Republican party, she was active in politics all her adult life, including local, county, state and national election campaigns. She received numerous awards over the years including Distinguished Alumni Fellows Award from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998; Pennsylvania’s 50 Best Women in Business Awards in 1999; Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Pittsburgh School of Law Alumni Association in 1999; chosen as one of 22 modern visionaries by Women in Cable & Telecommunications Foundation in 1999; Yolanda G. Barco Scholarship named for her by University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association in 1999 and 2000; and Gannon University Honorary Alumni Award in 2000. She was a member of St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church of Meadville.

Survivors include two sisters, Helene Barco Duratz and her husband, James J., with whom she resided, and Angeline M. Perricone of Meadville; and four nieces and three nephews. She was preceded in death by a brother, Anthony J. Trucco; and a nephew. Calling hours will be Wednesday from 1 to 8 p.m. at Byham-Miller-Mizner Funeral Home, 404 Chestnut St., Meadville. Funeral service of Christian burial will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church, with Monsignor Richard E. Butryn of the church officiating. Entombment will be in Roselawn Mausoleum.The family suggests memorials be made to Meadville Public Library, Barco Law Library at the University of Pittsburgh, or Barco Center Library at the National Cable Television Center and Museum.