Bill (William J.) Barrett

Bill (William J.) Barrett died on February 3, 2022. He was 69. Born to William L. and Alice (Smith) Barrett, he was raised in Clifton, New Jersey, graduating from Neumann Preparatory School in 1970. He came to love the ocean during the summers he spent with his family on the Jersey shore. With his family, he volunteered at Camp Alexander, run by Catholic Charities' Department for Persons with Disabilities. An avid learner, he read the encyclopedia for fun. The first in his family to attend college, Bill earned a BA in Psychology from St. Meinrad College in 1974.

After graduation, Bill joined the Franciscans (OFM). Long fascinated by photography, he began his work as a documentary photographer and photography teacher after a year's study at The New School. Inspired by St. Francis's example of encountering Jesus in the poor, Bill volunteered with the New York Catholic Worker while its founder, Dorothy Day, was still alive. She commented that Bill was the only photographer who didn't make her nervous. Bill's photos are featured in many books about Day and the Catholic Worker. Bill moved to Philadelphia at the request of friars establishing the St. Francis Inn, a Franciscan Catholic Worker-like community.

Having learned Spanish because of a challenge from Dorothy Day, Bill made multiple trips to the Salvadoran refugee camps in Honduras during the 1980s at the behest of several non-governmental organizations. His photographs bore witness to the human costs of the Salvadoran civil war and the dignity of displaced persons. Inspired by the pacifism of St. Francis, Bill was involved in efforts to end the wars in Central America, as well as in the anti-nuclear movement.

In 1986, Bill requested release from his Franciscan vows. He began to teach photography full-time at Parsons School of Design, eventually becoming the assistant chair of its photography department. He taught briefly in Germany and in the Colomoncagua refugee camp in Honduras. He also spent five summers teaching in Parsons' Paris program. In 1991, Bill earned an MA in Media Studies from The New School.

Bill met his spouse, Laurel Hayes, through the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), for which they both had worked. They married in 1991. For several years, Bill was a long-distance runner, running the New York Marathon and the Marine Corps Marathon (which he ran with the War Resisters League team). He served on WRL's national board.

In 1994, Bill was offered a faculty position at Webster University, and he and Laurel moved to St. Louis. At Webster, Bill was a photography professor; the May Gallery director; an Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies faculty fellow; and, for four years, chair of the Department of Electronic and Photographic Media. Bill also taught first-year seminars; served on committees across the university; taught for a term at Webster's Geneva campus; traveled under university auspices to the U.S.-Mexico border, Mexico, Cuba, and El Salvador; regularly attended French and Spanish conversation groups; and maintained several blogs, including one that featured St. Louis gallery openings. A perennial New Yorker, Bill returned to Manhattan most years for a week, first as a guest lecturer at Parsons, and then with groups of Webster students. Bill was active in several professional organizations, and past president of the Photographic Imaging Educators Association.

Bill's awards included the Kemper and the Emerson Awards for Excellence in Teaching and the Messing International Research Award (which he used to visit European libraries and cameras obscura to explore the pre-history of photography). He later made images around campus in a room-sized portable camera obscura. Bill's fascination with American utopian communities led to a first-year seminar on the topic and a multi-year project photographing every Shaker site open to the public.

Upon moving to St. Louis, Bill served for several years on the program committee of the area AFSC office. He was a long-time member of St. Cronan Church, where he was a lector, the coordinator of Eucharistic bread bakers, and a member of a small spiritual group. Devoted to his family, he was often seen around town with his son Gavin in tow. Although he professed not to like animals, Bill befriended the cats Laurel and Gavin rescued. An Eagle Scout who loathed camping, Bill nonetheless accompanied Gavin on many Boy Scout camping trips. Annual summer road trips to visit far-flung family prompted Bill to begin photographing eroded landscapes in the national parks. An enthusiastic cook, he was known for his hummus (a staple at May Gallery openings). His blog, "Not Yet a Cookbook," was an ongoing endeavor.

Bill is survived by his spouse, Laurel Hayes; his son, Gavin Barrett-Hayes; his siblings Tom (Pat), Cindy Rose (Dave), and Dave; extended family; his Franciscan brothers, who remained important to him; and many friends, colleagues, and students. The Webster University memorial service will be at 3 PM on Friday, April 1, in the Winifred Moore Auditorium in Webster Hall. The funeral will take place at 11 AM on Saturday, April 2, at St. Cronan Church, 1202 S. Boyle Avenue, St. Louis. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Catholic Worker, 36 East 1st St., NY, NY 10003, would be appreciated.