Alfred Cavis Barnes

Published in The Arizona Republic on 8/28/2008

Alfred Cavis Barnes passed away on July 28, 2008 following a brief battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Leona Walters Barnes, his daughter, Linda Hazel, and his son, Alfred Cavis Barnes III (Fred) and daughter-in-law, Geri, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, by one sister and brother-in-law and by his nieces and nephews and their families.

Alfred was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, August 19, 1922. He attended schools in Portsmouth and entered the Army Air Force cadet program there, serving in the Air Force during World War II and in the Korean conflict where he was awarded, among other citations, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf clusters.

He completed Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at Arizona State University, earning varsity letters in football and baseball. He coached at St. Mary's High School and at Phoenix College, and taught and coached at Williams, Arizona, and at North Phoenix and Camelback High Schools, and taught part-time at Arizona State University.

He left there to teach at Northern Iowa University and to complete the Doctorate at Indiana University. Returning to Arizona, he was a researcher and trainer at Aviation Crash Injury Research, then joined the Arizona State Department of Health. He then taught at San Diego State University where he retired in 1980, joining Air Research as a safety engineer from which he retired again in 1989.

Although his residence was in California, he maintained contacts with family and friends in Virginia and Arizona, visiting frequently and attending family and class reunions.

A memorial service with full military honors was held at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.