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BORN
1938
DIED
2021
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Barry Schwartz Obituary
A native of Philadelphia, PA, Barry was the son of the late Albert Schwartz and Ann Pogach Schwartz. He was a celebrated sociologist with a BS from Temple University, an MA from University of Maryland, and a PhD from University of Pennsylvania.
Barry was a professor at the University of Chicago from 1970-1977 and the University of Georgia from 1977 until his retirement in 2000. To honor his distinguished career, UGA named him professor emeritus of sociology. During his career, Barry was a fellow at the UGA Institute for Behavioral Research and UGA Humanities Center, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral and Social Sciences at Stanford, the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle, NC, the Smithsonian Museum of National History in Washington, DC, and a Davis Fellow at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including the William A. Owens award for Outstanding Research and Creativity in 2000. In 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from Hebrew University.
Barry was considered an expert in collective memory. He was the author of numerous books, chapters, articles, reviews, and essays. He continued to publish and work with his colleagues until the end of his life.
Barry met his wife of 58 years on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, shortly after completing his service in the US Army. Together, they supported each other and built a joyful life and family.
An avid baseball fan whose enthusiasm for the sport goes back to the Philadelphia Athletics, Barry imparted his love of baseball to his grandchildren through frequent games of catch. Known for his good humor and quick with a joke, he enjoyed laughing and making others laugh. He was extraordinarily kind, generous, and modest. A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Barry was a true role model who will be dearly missed.
Survivors include his wife, Janet Faye Cline Schwartz of Athens; children, Harald "Hal" Schwartz and his wife Jodi of Gaithersburg, MD, and Sarah Schwartz of Smyrna; grandsons, Aaron and Ian Schwartz and Heath and Asa Schwartz.
Funeral services will be held at the Bernstein Funeral Home on Wednesday, January 13. Visitation will begin at 1:00 PM, and the service will start at 2:00 PM. Rabbi Ronald Gerson will officiate. Entombment will follow at Evergreen Memorial Park.
Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Barry Schwartz
Sponsored by OnlineAthens.com.
Sarah Schwartz
May 12, 2022
Hi Darren,
Yes, my mom taught English at Jefferson HS from 1977 until her retirement in 2013. Were you a previous student of hers?
Darren
May 11, 2022
Sarah....did your Mom teach English at Jefferson High School in the 70's...80's?
Kathy jarboe
January 7, 2022
Hi Sarah, I´m thinking of you this week more than ever. I love this picture of your dad. It remains me of his infectious smile, funny laugh, and his ease of being a real person. I love you.
Sarah Schwartz
January 5, 2022
Tomorrow marks a year since my sweet dad has been gone. It's been the hardest, worst year of my life. It still feels as if he just passed. I've learned that grief for someone you love this much never goes away. It's like a chronic illness you live with for the rest of your life. I continue to miss my father every second of every day. I still can't quite believe I'll never see him again - never hear his wonderful laugh or see his brilliant smile again. But I try to remember how incredibly lucky I am to have had him as my father and to have learned to navigate the world with him as my guide. I love you, Do. I miss you more than I could possibly express. I will continue to live the rest of my life trying to make you proud, by using your example as my guide. I hope to see you again someday - that's what keeps me going most days. I love you with all my heart.
Andrea Casey
March 16, 2021
Professor Schwartz was a leading scholar in the field of collective memory. His work was the foundation for my dissertation and subsequent research and scholarship. I am forever thankful for his research and dedication and am grateful to have met him when I visited Athens many years ago.
Sarah K Schwartz
January 29, 2021
It's truly impossible to write anything here that would accurately capture the father that this man was to my brother and me. My mother told me that before they had my older brother, my dad worried about the kind of father he would be. This anxiety is what pushed him, I think. As with everything he did, he took the role seriously and worked hard at it. He put in the time and effort that many parents don't. He taught us how to live in this world and he taught us to love and care for one another. He gave us so many gifts through his concern that we learn how to navigate all the various facets of life. Now that he's gone, I'm terrified to be here without him. Yet, I know that he prepared me well. I hope I can make him proud as I move along without him, but with the lessons he taught. These are unchartered waters, as he has always been there to support me. But in everything I do, I will first ask myself what my extraordinary dad would do. And that will be my guide. I hope I will make him proud, and that I can be even a fraction of the genuinely kind, good, decent human that he was and will continue to be in my heart forever. I will live the rest of my life honoring my father's lessons, his laughter, his kindness and compassion. I look forward to the time when these dark days lighten and I can smile and laugh again when I talk about my sweet father. He was my best friend and my rock. I hope to one day be reunited with him. I want him to know the profound difference he made in so many lives. But especially in his childrens' and grandchildrens'. I love him more than words could possibly express, and I am grateful that by some stroke of luck I was born to this man and blessed to have had 48 years with him. I love you, Do.
Lyn Spillman
January 11, 2021
Barry was a wonderful person and an important scholar. I write as a colleague in studies of collective memory. His books and articles will continue to influence our field. Barry helped me professionally and I have many fond memories of his kindness and humor.
Lyn Spillman
Bernstein Funeral Home
January 11, 2021
Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.
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Memorial Events
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Jan
13
Visitation
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Bernstein Funeral Home and Cremation Services3195 Atlanta Highway, Athens, GA 30606
Jan
13
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Bernstein Funeral Home and Cremation Services3195 Atlanta Highway, Athens, GA 30606
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