Dayton volunteer Bob Barr, 71, dies

Bob Barr, irrepressible cheerleader and tireless volunteer for his native Dayton and its community organizations, died early Tuesday after a brief illness. He was 71.

Mr. Barr served as public information director for Sinclair Community College from 1969-87, and later served as associate director for development and information at Otterbein Homes. But it was his volunteer work--he volunteered for at least 40 organizations through his career--combined with his gregarious personality that introduced him to hundreds of Miami Valley residents.

His friends said it seemed everyone knew Bob Barr, and if by chance you didn't, Bob would make every effort to correct that oversight. Whether he was playing an antiquated air-powered calliope at parades and horse shows, dressing up as Santa Claus to entertain children at holiday parties or figuring out a playful way to boost Dayton during a Marvin Hamlisch/Dayton Philharmonic Super Pops concert in Dayton just a few weeks ago, Mr. Barr injected an infectious love of life into nearly every waking moment.

"He enjoyed life more than anyone I've ever known--every aspect of it. He just lived it to the fullest," said Janice Austin, who worked as Mr. Barr's secretary at Sinclair for nearly a decade. "And he just loved to talk to people."

A week before Christmas, during the pops concert, Hamlisch announced he would compose a song impromptu from any phrase given to him from an audience member. Sure enough, from the audience, Mr. Barr suggested, "It's Great 'N Dayton." After composing the piece, Hamlisch asked Mr. Barr what he did for a living. After replying that he was in PR, Mr. Barr remarked, "I put the 'sin' back in Sinclair"--a line that he used frequently, but perhaps never to a more uproarious effect.

It was vintage Bob Barr. "His spirit and enthusiasm for downtown was unparalleled," said Maureen Pero, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. "And I can't think of anyone who was so much fun to work with."

Jerry Hauer, president of the Rotary Club of Dayton, said Mr. Barr, a past Rotary president, "put excitement into our weekly meetings."

It was Mr. Barr who insisted that the Rotary single out for recognition the waiters and cooks who provided the food Rotarians ate--"that was something the Rotary Club had never done before," Hauer said.

The Rotary will do something to memorialize Mr. Barr, perhaps by establishing a scholarship fund, Hauer said.

Mr. Barr's acquaintances said he learned last week he had cancer, then suffered kidney failure Monday. "He was very active right up to last week," Pero said.

Among the many organizations Mr. Barr served were the YMCA, WPTD-TV Channel 16, the American Cancer Society, the Dayton Art Institute and the Salvation Army. Mr. Barr received countless awards during his career; most recently, he was selected by the Senior Resource Connection for a Community Builder award for his volunteer efforts, and the Sinclair Alumni Association chose Barr to receive the David H. Ponitz Honorary Alumnus Award for his support of the college and its alumni association.

Sinclair President Ned Sifferlen said, "Bob Barr was first and foremost a cheerleader ... (and) we were certainly a beneficiary of his enthusiasm.

"Bob was a person filled with love and spirit and will be greatly missed by the students, faculty, staff, board members and alumni who knew him and were touched by him."

Mr. Barr's wife of 47 years, Barbara "Bobbie" Barr, died in October 1998.

Mr. Barr is survived by two daughters, Melissa Snyder and Laurie Shepherd, both of Columbus; and by six grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled for 3 to 5 and from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 E. Stroop Road. Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Belmont United Methodist Church, 2701 S. Smithville Road.

CONTACT Mark Fisher at 225-2258 or e-mail him at mark_fisher@coxohio.com