WEBB CITY, Mo. —
Webb City residents and patrons of the school district are remembering Ron Barton as a person of integrity and deep faith who wanted to do whatever was in the best interest of students.
Barton, a former Webb City superintendent, died Tuesday. He was 74 years old.
“He was such a wonderful man,” Bea Johnson said Thursday. “He was just like a member of my family.” Johnson was a secretary for the Webb City School District and worked alongside Barton for 18 years.
She said Barton knew many students by name, and she recalled the way he patted them on the back, hugged them and encouraged them.
“He made a lot of contributions to Webb City,” Johnson said. “I don’t know of anyone in Webb City who didn’t love him.”
Ron Lankford, a former Webb City superintendent who is now a deputy commissioner for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, knew Barton for about 50 years. The two first became acquainted when Lankford was a student in the Seneca School District, where Barton taught English and social studies, and where he later became the high school principal.
“He was a well-liked teacher. He had a real ability to relate to the kids,” Lankford said, noting that he remembered the all-school parties that Barton helped arrange to give youngsters in the town something to do.
Over the years, Lankford said, Barton encouraged him to go to college, which was uncommon in those days, and continued to guide him as he pursued his doctorate in education.
“He was my mentor, and I was his protégé,” Lankford said.
Barton joined the Webb City School District in 1971. He served as junior high principal, assistant superintendent and eventually superintendent from 1979 to 1998. Lankford followed Barton’s path, succeeding him at the junior high, then serving as assistant superintendent under Barton for 13 years, then becoming superintendent when Barton retired.
“He let me make mistakes,” Lankford said. “He let me learn from those mistakes. He gave me the opportunity to grow my own wings.”
The Ronald R. Barton Performing Arts Center at Webb City High School was dedicated in Barton’s honor in 1997. He retired from the district the following year. In 2002, he was named Outstanding Emeritus Educator of the Missouri Association of School Administrators, Southwest District. A scholarship in his honor was established in 2009.
Lankford said the greatest legacy Barton left the district is one of integrity.
“No one could question his integrity,” Lankford said, noting that Barton always was determined to do the best thing for the school district and its students.
“I never knew anybody who didn’t admire him,” he said.
Curt Kamler, a retired Webb City teacher, worked with Barton for nearly 20 years. On Thursday, he praised Barton for his deep faith, for his ability to work with students and faculty, and for the way he handled himself personally and professionally.
“I admire his virtues,” Kamler said. “He was honest. He’d tell you upfront what was what. He was a great example for the faculty and the staff, as well as the students.”
Added Johnson: “He was one of the most respected men in Webb City.”
Services, contributions
FUNERAL SERVICES will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ronald R. Barton Performing Arts Center at Webb City High School. Graveside services will be in Mount Hope Cemetery.
CONTRIBUTIONS may be made to the Webb City R-7 School Foundation Scholarship Fund, Webb City First Baptist Church or the Webb City Public Library.
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