Barbara Ingalls Shook

Barbara Ingalls Shook (1938–2008) was an American heiress and philanthropist. She was a prominent patron of the arts in Birmingham, Alabama. She also served on the advisory board of the National Cancer Institute in the Reagan administration.

Early life Ingalls Shook was born on September 28, 1938. Her paternal grandfather, Robert Ingersoll Ingalls Sr. (1882–1951), was the founder of Ingalls Iron Works, the largest privately owned steel manufacturer in the Southern United States, and Ingalls Shipbuilding, the largest shipyard in the Gulf Coast of the United States. She had a sister, Elesabeth Ingalls Gillet, and a step-brother Lathrop Winchester Smith.

She graduated from Mount Vernon Seminary and College in Washington, D.C. (which later merged with the George Washington University), with an associate degree in 1958.

Philanthropy She was a noted philanthropist in Birmingham, Alabama, through the Barbara Ingalls Shook Foundation. Her philanthropy extended to healthcare, as she donated to St. Vincent's Birmingham and the Montclair Baptist Medical Center.

She was also active in philanthropy in Aspen, Colorado.

Personal life She married Robert Paschal Shook. It is home to American black bears from Big Sky, Montana.