Louis A. Barone

LOUIS  A.  BARONE, age 80, beloved husband of Susan (nee Mollers), loving father of Eric Barone and Joanna Liedel (Jeffrey), dear grandfather of Madelyn and Griffin Liedel, brother of Robert Barone.  Dr. Louis A. Barone, or Doc as he was often called by students, had a very rich, interesting and accomplished life.  Born in Batavia, NY to Philip and Beatrice he graduated from Batavia High School in 1955 before attending SUNY Potsdam to study education.  It was there he met his wife of close to 59 years, Susan, and together they graduated in 1959 with their Bachelor of Science.  He then went on to pursue a Master of Science, also from Potsdam, graduating in 1962.  After teaching public school in Pleasantville, NY he decided he wanted to teach history at the collegiate level, earning his PhD in American History from SUNY Buffalo in 1968.  His job search took him to Baldwin-Wallace College, starting in 1966, where he taught courses in US history, with an emphasis in recent American history, and Vietnam. Throughout his 42 year career at BW, in addition to touching the lives of many students, he was a dedicated college partner by being very active in faculty governance.  He served as Chair of the History Department for over 20 years, achieving the rank of full professor, he sat on the Faculty Executive Committee, and earned the Strosacker Award for Faculty Excellence.  His expertise in US History allowed him to serve as a grader for the Advanced Placement test for many years. His other passion at BW, besides teaching students, was Athletics.  Early in his tenure he was chosen by Lee Tressel to be the faculty representative for the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and the NCAA.  Through this role he was voted President of the OAC, serving both 1985-1987 and 1993-1995, and Vice President of the Faculty Athletics Representative Association (FARA) which is part of the NCAA.  In these positions he was a fierce advocate for Division III student athletes.  He was an Assistant Girls Softball coach for 8 years and probably one of his favorite jobs was being the voice of Yellow Jackets football which he proudly did for over 25 years.  As a result of his years of dedication, he will be inducted in the BW Athletic Hall of Fame- an honor that meant very much to him. Outside of the classroom Lou had many hobbies.  Being an avid gardener, you would often find him working out in the yard.  Never one to sit still, in the colder months he did many woodcarvings and was known for his “Louie” ornaments and rustic Americana carvings.  He enjoyed being a part of the Berea Italian Club, having lunch with fellow retired faculty members, going to his cottage in Canada, and spending time with his family at many of his grandchildren’s activities. There will be a Celebration of Life date and time to be announced. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Dr. Louis A. Barone Scholarship Fund c/o Development Office, Baldwin Wallace University, 275 Eastland Rd., Berea, Oh. 44017 or online at https://www.b-wcommunity.net/give. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Louis A. Barone, please visit our floral store.