Barbara Margolis

Barbara Ann "Bobbie" Margolis (October 4, 1929 – July 3, 2009) was an American prisoners' rights advocate who served as the official greeter of New York City under the administration of Mayor of New York City Ed Koch. She established Fresh Start, a program under which inmates at Rikers Island receive culinary training from professional chefs.

Early life and education She was born as Barbara Ann Schneider in Malden, Massachusetts on October 4, 1929, and attended Boston's Simmons College, where she was awarded a bachelor's degree in retailing. While working as a security officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1958, she met David Margolis. They married six months later, and moved to New York City in 1959. Koch was sworn into office as mayor on December 31, 1977 at the Margolis home at 30 East 72nd Street. In 1979, she was named official greeter of New York City — officially the vice chairman of the City Commission for Distinguished Guests — the first woman to hold the honorary post which paid a salary of $1 per year. As greeter, she welcomed individuals such as Diana, Princess of Wales and Pope John Paul II.