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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 22
BY SENATORS THOMPSON AND WARD
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express the sincere 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 execute
it by founding major nonprofit organizations tasked with realizing his vision has led some
to 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 SCR NO. 22 ENROLLED
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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 he 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 copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of John W. Barton Sr.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES