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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 40
BY REPRESENTATIVES CARTER, BARROW, BERTHELOT, EDWARDS, FOI L,
GREENE, HAVARD, HODGES, HONORE, JAMES, LAMBERT, MACK, PONTI,
POPE, PRICE, RICHARDSON, SCHEXNAYDER, SMITH, ST. GERMAIN,
THIBAUT, AND ALFRED WILLIAMS AND SENATORS AMEDEE, BROOME,
BROWN, CLAITOR, DORSEY-COLOMB, ERDEY, GALLOT, RISER, AND
WHITE
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express the sincere and heartfelt condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
death of John W. Barton, Sr.
WHEREAS, it is with profound regret and sorrow that the members of the legislature
have learned of the death of John W. Barton, Sr., on March 3, 2012, at the age of ninety-five;
and
WHEREAS, John W. Barton, Sr., was born on New Year's Day in Napoleonville in
1917 and graduated from Port Allen High School; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Barton received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from
Louisiana State University in 1939 before going on to own and operate Barton Investments
and Barton Farms; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Barton helped found the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and served
for decades as board chairman, helping local philanthropists connect with nonprofit
organizations and invest in community projects; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Barton served the people of Baton Rouge and Louisiana in his
capacity as founder and board member of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation,
board member of the Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, and director of the
fundraising committee for the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Barton's ability to envision a project of social change and enact it
by founding major nonprofit organizations tasked with realizing his vision has led some into
name him the "father of modern Baton Rouge"; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Barton's contributions to the people of Baton Rouge and Louisiana
have earned him many accolades, most notably the Golden Deeds Award and induction into
both the Business Report Hall of Fame and the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 40
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WHEREAS, in addition to being a visionary, philanthropist, and civic leader,
Mr. Barton was an avid outdoorsman; he helped found the National Wild Turkey Federation
in 1973 and won the National Wildlife Federation's C.B. McLeon Distinguished Service
Award in 1992; and
WHEREAS, John W. Barton, Sr., was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Scott
Duchein Barton; his sister, Edith Barton Matthies; and his grandson, Joseph Thomas "Jody"
Howell IV; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Barton is survived by his children, Mary Scott Barton, Annette
Duchein Barton and friend Malcolm L. Tucker, and John Walton Barton Jr., and wife
Margaret Perez Barton; he is also survived by his brother, Harry V. Barton; grandchildren,
Frances Annette Hutchison, Catherine Barton Van Arnem and husband H.L. Van Arnem,
Natalie Barton Perkin and husband Nicolas Perkin, and John Walton Barton III and wife
Kathryn Taylor Barton; great-grandchildren, Amelie Scott Perkin and Palmer Agnes Perkin;
and other loving family members, including Carlos K. Hurst; and
WHEREAS, with the death of John W. Barton, Sr., Louisiana has lost one of her
finest sons, a philanthropist whose legacy shall live forever in the tremendous impact of his
nonprofit organizations and in the hearts and minds of the many citizens whose lives he
touched with his remarkable vision and kindness.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express its sincere sorrow and heartfelt condolences upon the death of John W. Barton, Sr.,
and does hereby express enduring appreciation for the pride and honor he will forever bring
to the city of Baton Rouge, the state of Louisiana, and the United States of America.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the family of John W. Barton, Sr.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE