In Memoriam: Delmas Barber Sr.’s reward was helping others | Darryl Jones

“If I can help somebody, as I pass a long…then my living will not be in vain.”

There are some people who are analogous to the Kevin Bacon reference of “six degrees of separation”—Mr. Delmas Barber Sr. was certainly that person.

He wasn’t just widely known, Barber was also respected and trusted by everyone. You couldn’t help but smile as he came your way. So of course, when the reports of his passing were shared, there was a palatable sadness and sorrow that moved from heart to heart in neighborhoods across the city and through the halls of government — “a great prince has fallen.”

Although Barber had a considerable Rolodex and connections with nearly every elected official in our community, that was not his claim to fame nor his calling card.

He wasn’t a “name dropper.” No, Barber and his selflessness as both ombudsman and ambassador for local neighborhoods and their residents earned him the respect of everyone in our community.

First, as the Human Relations Chair of the City of Tallahassee, Barber’s voice and advocacy in a post-civil rights era helped our municipal government create a paradigm for affirmative action, workforce development, fair housing and inclusion that rivaled most city governments in the South.

His committee advised and made recommendations to city managers and staffers that informed policies that had major implications for the future of our government. The capital city was miles ahead of similar cities and Barber’s engagement was a part of that growth.

In his advocacy, Barber never forgot the neighbors and the neighborhoods that prepared him for the responsibilities of adulthood and a life devoted to serving others.

Barber was an ombudsman because he was a fixer and was also an ambassador because he was an influencer. Barber did both jobs enormously well because he sought no glory or credit — his reward was in helping people.

His life and service give us reason to reflect on why Barber was so widely respected and widely known. It’s because no one ever questioned his motives or intentions. Don’t get me wrong, he would call and ask for favors all the time — they just were never for himself. Because he remained connected to his community, the favors were always for someone else who didn’t have access, but needed help, nonetheless.

I remember when the city of Tallahassee created a weatherization/energy rehab program. Barber was City Manager Anita Favors’ obvious choice to lead it because Barber’s character and cache could connect the intended utility customers with this money saving benefit from our government.

Ms. Favors knew that families would trust Barber to come in their homes — and they did, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent and thousands of families were served because of Barber’s character and commitment to his neighbors. The energy savings those customers still enjoy —priceless.

My grandfather often said you have two types of men — men who want to be important and men who do important things. I am certain that Delmas Barber Sr. wasn’t on Facebook or Instagram — because Barber wasn’t concerned with chasing likes. Instead, he was consumed with changing lives.

I was blessed to have been helped and encouraged by Barber and join countless people in our community who are grateful to his wife and children for sharing their husband and father with a grateful community.

Delmas Barber’s living was certainly not in vain. Good night “sweet prince.”

(The funeral service for Delmas Barber Sr. will be 11 a.m. Friday, April 29, at the Old West Florida Enrichment center, 2344 Lake Bradford Rd, with burial at Southside Cemetery.)

Darryl Jones is chairman of the Leon County School Board, where he represents District 3, and he serves as Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Vitality (OEV) for Minority, Women and Small Business (MWSBE) Programs

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