Peter Ian Barber ’59


Peter Ian Barber ’59 passed away on October 19, 2012, in Marietta, Georgia, where he lived for the past 40 years. Pete entered Dartmouth from Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire, and prior to that graduated from Brookline (Massachusetts) High School. At Dartmouth Pete was an English major and a member of Pi Lambda Phi. He was a three-year letterman on the football team and lettered on the golf team as a senior. As a four-year member of DOC he also was on the ski patrol his junior and senior years. Pete loved Dartmouth, from which his father graduated in 1932. Pete was an entrepreneur and owner of many textile businesses across the northern region of Georgia. His success started when he designed a rose-patterned throw rug that was marketed by Sears Roebuck. He built on that success by developing a revolutionary process to dye textile materials on the bolt, thus saving time and money. His main textile businesses were Glen Head and B&B Fringe; he sold the latter of these in the 1990s and enjoyed semi-retirement from that point forward. He continued to consult and manage a business selling Tie Saver until he became ill. He was an avid golfer, playing many famous courses in the United States and abroad. He loved to travel, visiting countries such as Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand during many years. His son Stephen, two grandsons, his sister and his companion Shipley Petty, who helped him through his last days, survive Pete.