Barney Bruce Barrett

Services celebrating the life of Barney Barrett will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, July 15. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. followed by a 10 a.m. service conducted by the Rev. Steve Berger. On Oct. 17, 1928, Barney was born to John Thurlow Barrett III and Mabel Hobbs Barrett, in Hammond. After graduating from Hammond High School, he attended Southeastern Louisiana State College where he was a member of Kappa Delta Tau fraternity. In 1950, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps for the Korean War with a military occupational specialty in intelligence. While serving he received the Korean Service Medal with three stars, the U.N. Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. After an honorable discharge, he attended LSU and received a degree in geology. He worked for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in Baton Rouge from 1961-1981 and was one of the original staff at the department's marine laboratory at Grand Terre Island. Barney was among the first scientists in the state who understood the close linkages between the vast expanse of the Louisiana coastal marsh and the state's high fisheries productivity. An expert in coastal processes and estuarine ecology, he initiated a hydrographic monitoring program for use in marine fisheries management. Barney's theory and model for relating coastal environmental conditions to fisheries production is still used to manage shrimp seasons in Louisiana, and has been modified for use worldwide. His descriptions of the relationships between the physical condition of the coast and its fisheries are contained in classic books and professional reports that underpinned the early development of the state's coastal protection program. Barney's professional contributions led to his service as a member of numerous committees of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission between 1963 and 1995. Barney mentored at least 100 coastal and marine scientists, and befriended many more. Many of the people he mentored have moved on to management positions across the Gulf Coast. Barney will be remembered by his family and friends as a generous and honorable man, a mentor, an avid golfer and a larger than life legend. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Joe Alice Matheny Barrett, of Wilmington, N.C.; two nieces, Susan Barrett Smith, of New Orleans and Catherine Barrett Long, of Corona, Calif.; a nephew, John Barrett, of Durham, N.C.; and three great-nieces. His extended family includes Virginia Burkett, Lisa Westfall, Johnny Haydel, Jan Bowman, Tim Morrison, Amy Tate and Jacqui Birkett. He was preceded in death by his brother, Barrie P. Barrett. Many heartfelt thanks to the employees and residents of Sunrise Assisted Living of Baton Rouge, his friend, Mr. Jim Broyles and oncologist Dr. Derrick Spell. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation for Coastal Restoration, P.O. Box 65239, Audubon Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70896-5239,http://www.lawildlifefed.org or to Trinity Hospice Foundation, 2506-B.E. 21st St., Tulsa OK 74114-1706,http://www.trinityhospicefoundation.org" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.trinityhospicefoundation.org">http://www.trinityhospicefoundation.org.