Honorary Alumnus: Mr. Eric Barr

August 1982. Mr. Eric Barr had graduated from Shepherd College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, when he saw a classified ad in the Washington Post: a private school in Front Royal, Virginia was looking for a math teacher.

Randolph-Macon Academy had just completed its 90th year, and with enrollment on an upswing, more teachers were needed to accommodate the new students. Mr. Barr called, and came out to campus for an interview with then-academic dean, Col. Philip Herndon. “It was more like he was selling me on the job,” Mr. Barr reflected – after all, classes were due to start in two weeks. He was offered the position, and he accepted.

Little did he know - he would stay and serve on The Hill for the next 40 years, becoming one of the Academy’s longest-tenured and most beloved faculty members.

Born in a small town in West Virginia to an elementary school teacher father and housewife mother, Eric Barr was the youngest of six children. After graduating from high school, he attended Shepherd College and received a Bachelor of Science in mathematic. Though he had started as an education major with the intention of becoming a teacher, he knew that “it was always going to be math.”

His career at R-MA began with teaching Math 7 and Math 8 in Room 7 of Rives Hall. Each year, he moved up a level – through Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II/Trig, until he reached Precalculus. This meant that Mr. Barr had the opportunity to teach his students for five consecutive years. “I grew up with the Class of 1987,” he shared.

He has taught primarily AP Calculus and Honors Precalculus and began a 30-year tenure as an adjunct professor with Shenandoah University. Mr. Barr received his Masters Degree in Mathematics with a specialization in Operations Research from George Mason University in 1994. Mr. Barr also served as chair of the R-MA Math Department until 2019.

Outside of the classroom, he has served as the faculty advisor to the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Fraternity, faculty advisor to the Honor Council, National Honor Society faculty council, and President of the Athletic Booster Club.

In addition, he was the faculty advisor to the Virginia Mathematics League team that won two regional championships. Mr. Barr has also served as Intramural Director, Summer School Director, and operated the Basketball Clock for over 25 years. He was even the Acting Academic Dean for one week!

Mr. Barr was the longtime coach of both the boys and girls tennis teams. He was conference Coach of the Year 10 times and R-MA Coach of the Year five times. His teams won twelve conference championships and Barr coached over 500 tennis matches winning nearly 300.

Mr. Barr had the distinct honor of having the 1995 yearbook, The Randomac, dedicated to him. He was also selected as the United Methodist Teacher of the Year in 1999, as well as Air Force Association Teacher of the Year. He is also proud to be an honorary member of R-MA’s Class of 2013.

In honor of Mr. Barr’s retirement this June, R-MA President, Brigadier General David Wesley, USAF, Retired conferred upon Mr. Barr the highest possible honor during Commencement 2022: an R-MA Honorary Diploma.

General Wesley described Mr. Barr as “certainly one of the greatest math teachers in the history of the Commonwealth, and a man truly deserving of a place among the greatest teachers ever to grace this campus.”