Professor, wildlife specialist dead at 56
October 16, 2014
By Cheyene Miller
Thomas G. Barnes, 56, extension professor and wildlife extension specialist, died Sunday morning in his home in Barbourville according to a report from the Lexington Herald-Leader.
According to coworkers in the UK Department of Forestry like research forester Christopher Reeves, Barnes was most known for his ability to capture nature through photography.
“It was a passion of his that continued even though his health was deteriorating,” Reeves wrote in an email to the Kentucky Kernel.
Barnes authored several publications and books like “Gardening for the Birds,” “The Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky,” and “The Gift of Creation: Images from Scripture and Earth.”
According to Barnes’ most important roles in the department were the protection of biodiversity and urban wildlife conservation.
He held his doctorate in wildlife and fisheries sciences from Texas A&M University, masters in wildlife and fisheries sciences from South Dakota State University and a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, from Huron College in South Dakota.
The entire Forestry Department was saddened by the loss of Barnes, said extension information specialist Renee Williams.
“I worked with him since 2006,” Williams wrote in an email to the Kentucky Kernel. “There are others who knew him better than I did. But yes, I worked with him a lot.”
Reeves said that Barnes was a very spiritual person, and connected his spirituality with his love of nature.
“I can’t speak directly to Tom’s faith, but it was obvious in his writings and this book that he had a view of the world that it was man’s responsibility to care for the earth,” Reeves said.
Reeves said that Barnes had been working on compiling photographs of Kentucky waterfalls into a book.
“The book was almost completed so we hope to get it published somehow,” Reeves wrote in the email.
Barnes was a staff member at UK for more than 20 years.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Barnes is survived by his wife, Jamie; his son, Jeremiah; his daughter, Michaela; and stepchildren Ayman, Zak, and Jehan Abuzour.
