05/04/2026
Jan Barney Newman (August 9, 1938 - April 9, 2026) was a dedicated educator and entrepreneur committed to uplifting and engaging learners of all ages. Jan came to Ann Arbor with her husband, Dr. M. Haskell "Hack" Newman, in 1962 and they returned in 1971 to raise their four sons. After obtaining her Masters in Education, Jan taught at Tappan Middle School where her creative approach to student engagement led to the invention of a card game to help her middle schoolers master Greek mythology. This was the beginning of Aristoplay Games, the educational game company she co-founded whose products made their way into museums and stores across the country. Her passion for making education enjoyable later expanded into the opening of the Learning Express toy store.
Jan was a committed community servant. She was a board member for Girls Group, the Bank of Ann Arbor, and for twelve years served as a Trustee for the Ann Arbor District Library, including two years spent as President.
We are thankful to Jan for her faithful service to the library and the broader community. Her memory will live on through the generations of learners she inspired.
Learn more: https://aadl.org/node/669635
1) Jan Barney Newman of Aristoplay
(📸 Alan Warren, Ann Arbor News, September 1997)
aadl.org/BN134_254_004
2) Tappan Junior High Students Make A Game Of The Classics
(📸 Larry E. Wright, Ann Arbor News, May 1978)
Tappan Junior High School students Nick Roopas, Robbie DiGovanni and Beth Reed play 'Myths and Legends' with Jan Newman.
aadl.org/N100_0188_003
3) Jan Newman Serves Grits Soufflé To Her Family
(📸 Doug Fulton, Ann Arbor News, February 1965)
Young Chris (left) and Nick Newman may be growing up in the North but they are acquiring Southern appetites whetted by their mother's Southern cooking. Dr. and Mrs. M. Haskell Newman are both from Oklahoma and their ancestors originally came from the deep South. Here the boys anxiously wait for the first serving of their mother's Grits Souffle. Many of Mrs. Newman's Southern dishes are from old family recipes ... and Southern family recipes are usually a carefully guarded secret.
aadl.org/N019_0266_001
