Wright State University Libraries and the Friends of the Libraries lost a dear friend on April 25, 2024. Dr. Gary C. Barlow, was one of two faculty members to arrive in 1964 at what would become Wright State University. He began as a professor in Art Education at Miami University, training their Teacher’s Ed students enrolled in the Dayton extension program to become teachers in the Arts. After coming to Wright State’s College of Education, Gary developed the art therapy program for people with disabilities, one of the first of its kind in the country.

As one of the founding faculty of Wright State, Gary was here from the beginning, and in an interview with professor Lewis Shupe for the WSU Retiree’s Association’s Oral History Project, he shared many interesting stories and reflections about the early development  of Wright State University from a small branch campus of the Ohio State University and Miami University to a vibrant state university of its own. 

Gary was a lifelong supporter of the Wright State University, the University Libraries, and the Wright State Friends of the Libraries. He served many years in various capacities on the Friends of the Libraries Board of Directors, was an advocate for the Libraries, and a strong supporter of our Special Collections and Archives. He will be missed by many.

To read more about Gary see the exert from the Dayton Daily News in the Wright State NewsRoom.