Ben Barker

1931 - 2020

Ben D. Barker CHAPEL HILL - Ben D. Barker died at his home in Carolina Meadows on January 2, 2020 from metastatic cancer. Variously known among family and friends as Pop, Himself, Red, and Amos, he was born December 19, 1931 in Burlington, NC, the son of Guy Edward Barker and Louise King Barker. He married Jeanette Snyder of Burlington and they had three children: Benjamin Edward Barker, Sherry Barker Doherty, and Dale Barker Stapleton. Dr. Barker attended Burlington High school and graduated from Davidson College in 1954. He received his dental degree with honors from UNC-CH School of Dentistry in 1958, and immediately joined the faculty, subsequently earning a Masters in Education at Duke University. He served the UNC-Chapel Hill Dental School in various faculty and administrative positions and as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for 10 years. In 1975 Dr. Barker joined the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, as Program Director in Health. There he fostered the development of a wide range of national studies in health and health care policy and assisted the Foundation's programming efforts in the United States, Latin America and other regions. As its first Director, he led the initiation of the Kellogg National Fellows Program, a national leadership development endeavor which continued until 2002. Returning to Chapel Hill in 1981, Dr. Barker served as Dean of the UNC School of Dentistry until 1989. In 1984 he became Co-Director of the Pew National Dental Education Program, a national leadership development and strategic planning initiative in the nation's dental schools. Subsequently, he served as Senior Fellow at the Cecil Sheps Center for Health Services Research in Chapel Hill, was Chairman of the Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association and Chairman of the National Commission on Dental Accreditation. He was a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and served eleven years as a Trustee of Davidson College. For his service to the State he received North Carolina's highest civilian honor, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine. During his retirement in Wilmington NC, he served as a member and Chairman of the Board of Davis Community, a comprehensive health care facility; on the Executive Board of Cape Fear Council - Boy Scouts of America; and as a charter member of the Board of Visitors at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. In addition to his career, Dr. Barker rounded out a life well-lived as a talented self-taught chef, boat captain, voracious reader, nature lover, and beloved raconteur to his many friends and family. Occasionally impulsive, Ben "surprised" his wife many times---once returning from a haircut with a ski boat, once bringing a bloodhound puppy into the family without prior discussion, and not necessarily his finest hour, he purchased a house on the Intracoastal Waterway in Wilmington without Jeanette's knowledge prior to closing. After surviving two hurricanes the first year, this home became the family's joyful destination for over 18 years and provided priceless memories for all. Ben was appreciative and sentimental of his rural roots yet moved far beyond them as an explorer of the world, with a gift for planning exotic travel, always adventuring well off the beaten path. Ben was a lifelong Presbyterian, an Eagle Scout, and a highly regarded martini maker. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Jeanette Snyder Barker, children Benjamin Edward Barker (Karen-deceased), Sherry Barker Doherty, and Dale Barker Stapleton (Brian), grandchildren: Adam Barker (Amanda Bishop), Gabriel Barker (Marlee Gruber), Patrick Doherty (Mirage Berry), Charlotte Doherty, Nash Stapleton, Lee Stapleton, and two great grandchildren, Kayla and Bryce Barker, and his sister Sara Barker Marshburn and niece Anne Smith (Blair). The family will have a private memorial service and there will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, January 25 at 2 pm in the Auditorium at Carolina Meadows, 100 Whippoorwill Lane, Chapel Hill, NC. Memorial contributions may be sent to No Kid Hungry NC Gift Fund@UNC http://nokidhungrync.org Share Our Strength, P O Box 75475 Baltimore, MD 21275-5475 OR the NC Wildlife Federation, 1024 Washington Street, Raleigh, NC 27605 https://ncwf.org/support-ncwf/#memorial