Frank Barry '75 – Continued legacy 50 years later

This year marked a momentous occasion for the Class of 1975: their 50th anniversary, celebrated in October during Homecoming Weekend. The class would not be the same without classmate and leader Frank Barry ’75, whose legacy continues through the annual Frank Barry Leadership Award.

Although Barry has passed, his classmates remember their friend and the lasting impact he had on those who knew him and on the Mercyhurst community, even 50 years later.

The “Friends of Frank Barry,” as the group is lovingly known, works today to ensure the Frank Barry Leadership Award lives on in perpetuity. Now nearing its 25th year, the award has been given to campus leaders who have gone on to amazing lives and careers, continuing to give back to Mercyhurst.

Jack Riley ’74, friend of Frank Barry and the unofficial leader of the classes of 1973-1976, crafted the story below in memory of Barry and in recognition of the “Pioneer Years.”

Visit our site https://mhur.st/frank-barry to support the Frank Barry Leadership Fund.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The story of the Frank Barry Leadership Award begins with at Monsignor Bonner High School, in Philadelphia. In a high school of nearly 4,000 boys, Frank was the most popular guy at the school. Not because he was the smartest kid or the best jock in his class, as it would be at most other all-boys’ high schools. Frank was popular because he was an authentic leader who earned his popularity because of what he gave in return to the school and his classmates. Frank served as senior class president at Bonner, and in between in between organizing dances and seasonal celebrations, he honed his communications and leadership skills by presenting student concerns to the administration with the skill of a practiced union negotiator, combining pragmatic win-win solutions with a smart sense of humor that galvanized faculty and student body for the good of the institution.

At Mercyhurst, even though he promised himself that he would not get involved in student government, Frank Barry once again stepped up to take on causes that needed to be addressed by the school at a pivotal stage of transitioning to a coeducational environment from an exclusively women’s college. In addition to being the first male student government president at Mercyhurst, Frank served on seemingly every committee at the school and became known as someone who students, faculty, and the administration could connect with a plan to solve issues that plagued the changing landscape at Mercyhurst College.

During the height of Vietnam War opposition, as head of the speaker’s bureau, Frank brought in thought leaders from across the spectrum, many of whom were frontline activists of the movement, such as William Kunstler, Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, and many others. More than simply delivering a lecture, Frank convinced these speakers to sit with students at the Water Mellon Ballroom (Student Union), Grays Bar, or our apartment, where much of the unvarnished dialogue took place.

Frank was a consensus builder at a time when college administrations and student bodies were divided over the war, government corruption, and personal freedoms for young people. He utilized humor, creativity, intelligence, and political savvy to bring differing factions together to recognize mutual benefits from solving problems as a team.

Frank graduated from Mercyhurst magna cum laude in 1975 and was named to the Who’s Who of American Colleges and Universities.

Our group, the Pioneer Years classes (1973-77), got together every few years after graduation for weddings, Jersey shore excursions, and, of course, Homecoming at Mercyhurst. Scheduling these gatherings began to slow as we were having kids and moving around the country building careers.

In May of 1997, we came together for an unscheduled reunion as we gathered in Philadelphia to attend the funeral of Frank Barry. Frank died suddenly on Friday morning May 2nd in Ocean City, NJ. It was a crushing loss for us.

That fall, we attended Homecoming, and John Daley had us over to his and Rosey’s house where we drank beer, shared Frank stories, and ideated on ways to commemorate him at Mercyhurst.

A memorial on campus was decided upon, something that would be a permanent reminder of Frank at the school. A bench was an easy get for us to install quickly. The inscription would read, “Sit Down and Take a Load Off,” a phrase we envisioned that Frank would use to invite everyone who passed by to do.

Next, we debated on a scholarship fund. Frank had been an entrepreneur most of his life, owning and managing restaurants and a Mister Softee Franchise, so at some point, we decided that an award to a senior would be more apropos than a scholarship to recognize Frank and the awardee. The criteria would be an award to a graduate who emulated Frank’s leadership values, commitment to Mercyhurst, and sense of humor. The idea for a senior award, we felt, would be like awarding the graduate with their first post-grad paycheck.

Elisa Guida came up with the idea of putting something beside the bench that would represent Frank’s love of the Jersey Shore and list the names of those who contributed to the Leadership Award Fund…the Friends of Frank Barry Club. She came back with the Pier and Grass design that sits adjacent to the bench. The inscription on the top of one pier reads, “I’d never join a club that would have me as a member,” a reference to one of Frank’s favorite philosophers, Groucho Marx. The other pier displays a Claddagh ring icon, owning to Frank’s Irish heritage.

Many in the Mercyhurst administration from our Pioneer Years group, including Dr. Garvey, Jim Lanahan, Tom Billinglsy, Barry Grossman, Bill Kennedy, and countless faculty were still at the school in 1998 when we presented our plan to honor Frank. They all wholeheartedly approved and offered whatever support we needed.

We planned to christen the memorial at Homecoming the following year. That spring, we hit the phones to invite classmates from the Pioneer Years classes and solicit donations for the Frank Barry Leadership Award. We were overwhelmed by the response. Over 40 people donated, and for the dedication at Homecoming in 1998, we had over 70 attendees from the classes ranging from 1973 to 1977. We produced a video of our dedication weekend entitled, Brother Brother Barry, that always elicits laughs and tears when we screen it every few years at our gatherings, which have come to be known as Frank Barry Reunions.

This past year, at the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1975 (Frank’s class), we rededicated the memorial. Just before the weekend, Danny Bukowski suddenly passed away, much the same way Frank left us. We honored Danny Boo along with Frank, as Steve Albert, Danny’s basketball teammate, delivered a tribute to their long friendship.

We platformed the rededication to kick off a campaign to endow the Frank Barry Leadership Award. At the ceremony, we reinstated our commitment to Mercyhurst University and extended the legacy of the award to represent the Pioneer Years classes 1973-77 as a means of honoring those brave souls (classmates, administration, and faculty) who 50 years ago survived the transitioned to coeducational education, thus paving the way for Mercyhurst University to look forward to celebrating its Centennial anniversary next fall.

This year, we will award the 25th Frank Barry Leadership Award. We are proud of all those recipients and especially the ones who chose to stay and join the staff at Mercyhurst University.

PHOTO: Classmates gather in Munson Plaza nearby the Frank Barry Memorial Bench.