J Preston Barry

Colby College wisely claims Pres Barry as an alumnus, class of 1943. However, while he may have started his undergraduate education there, he likely did not finish, leaving to join the Army when the US entered WWII. His obituary, in fact, states that "he was in the first infantry carrier to land on Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion".

After the war he entered Brown University, where he finished his undergraduate education, class of 1949. While at Brown he played both varsity baseball and varsity football.

The Brown football coach at that time was Rip Engle, who left in 1950 to become head coach at Penn State University. And, the quarterback of the Brown football team on which Pres played was Joe Paterno (class of 1950), who after graduating joined Engle as an assistant coach at Penn State and later became head coach.

All HHS students who encountered Pres benefited from his sage and generous advice. And, many HHS athletes benefited even more from his deep and lasting associations with Brown and Penn State. He was a vigorous recruiter for both schools -- recruiting scholar athletes for Brown and outstanding athletes for Penn State.

Many of us fondly remember him personally, and some of us are eternally grateful for how he changed our lives.