| Graduation Year | Class of 1976 |
| Date of Birth | Mar 26, 1958 |
| Date of Passing | Sep 25, 2025 |
| About | Barry was a great teacher, mentor, and community leader. He was also a good listener and had a gift for making others feel comfortable and appreciated. You knew him growing up, but let me tell you a little bit more about him. Barry was born in Bridgeport and graduated with highest honors from Bunnell HS in Stratford, CT in 1976. He attended Clark in Worcester, Mass for a year. We met when we both transferred to Wesleyan University in Middletown our sophomore year. Our first date was the campus bookstore. We got married our senior year in 1980. In 1986, we both worked at Beardsley Park and Zoological Gardens in Bridgeport with classmate Gregg Dancho. Barry was the Curator of Operations & Administrative Services. After completing masters degrees at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield while working at the Zoo, we headed to Indiana University to pursue doctoral studies. During his three years as an AI (Assistant Instructor, not ChatGPT), Barry became a popular and highly successful instructor for science and social studies in the School of Education. He inspired hundreds of students to work hard to engage every student in learning, waking up his 8 am classes dressed as Sherlock Holmes for an investigation unit, or demonstrating a chemistry experiment with cabbage juice solutions that turned purple in time to the 1812 Overture. He always made time to mentor students and was recognized with a number of honors and teaching awards. Barry loved working with students; we both served as volunteer mentors to freshmen in the residence halls, helping them get adjusted to college life and get the most out of their experience. I found hundreds of student notes and letters he saved. After graduating from IU Bloomington (1990) with our doctorates, we stayed at IU as assistant professors for a five-year contract. During that time, we formed the consulting firm CILS, traveling around the country to help museums, zoos, and other nonprofit and education institutions. While in Bloomington, Barry joined United Way of Monroe County as a volunteer board member and was later drafted to serve as the Executive Director of United Way, a position he held for 14 years. He led the transition from a traditional fundraising model to a results-oriented community impact model for “improving people’s lives.” Barry gave well over 50 speeches and community presentations and was infamous for his “bad jokes” and sense of humor to make everyone feel welcome. He helped start many programs that returned over 30 million dollars to the community during his tenure. But his proudest achievement was continuing to serve as a volunteer mentor for students and young professionals, who now live all over the country – and world. Barry’s interests included radio as an information medium. One of his favorite volunteer activities was hosting a weekly radio interview show. He also loved bluegrass and big band music. He often spoke fondly of his days at Bunnell, the impact of his teachers, working at Hamilton’s Pharmacy, bowling, and hanging out with his friends in John’s basement???? -- Denise Lessow (Cheshire HS 1976) |
