Charles Turner Barber

Charles Turner Barber, 82, of Evansville, passed away on June 29, 2024 in Seychelles, an island in the Indian Ocean. He was born August 30, 1941 in Washington DC to the late Charles Turner Barber, Sr. and Vera Nolt Barber and was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland.

He will be deeply missed by Carolyn Roth, his wife of nearly 33 years; daughters, Gretchen Fischer (Bryan) and Katrina Barber; grandchildren, Hilary Fischer, Vera Fischer, Severina Barber and Forsythia Barber; brother, Glenn Barber (Terry); sister, Sara Camilli (Ray); nephews, Michael, Keith and Stephen Camilli; and by many friends.

He earned a B.A. degree, cum laude, in political science from West Virginia Wesleyan College, then M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in international relations from The American University. From 1967 to 1971, he taught at East Tennessee State University. He was a professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Indiana for 36 years. In 1999, he became the first USI faculty member to teach during spring semester at Harlaxton College in England.

Two publications include a 1998 textbook, From Person to Planet: International Politics at Five Levels, and a chapter in the 2000 book published by Marcel Dekker, Handbook of Global Political Policy. He has written 48 articles in journals and periodicals and presented 63 professional papers in 14 U.S. states and eight other countries.

In the mid 70's he made a trip with fellow professors to India sponsored by the Rotary Club. He taught a course on the Middle East, a region he first visited as a Malone Fellow and to which he has returned three times. Recent research focusing on emergence of a Mediterranean community led to an article in Mediterranean Quarterly. Other areas of Dr. Barber's research have included development of a simulation of the Electoral College, analyses of transnational terrorism and paraterrorism, linkages of Third World conflicts to the superpowers, and competition for UN Security Council seats.

In 1990, Professor Barber ran in a non-partisan election for the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Board, coming in third among five candidates. He has appeared locally as a commentator on five television channels, several radio stations, and in newspaper articles.

Administratively, Dr. Barber served as chairman of Political Science and then the Department of Philosophy and Political Science for 13 years, from 1986 to 1999. During that time, he recruited three full-time faculty members as well as many adjuncts. He founded Upsilon Zeta chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society. In addition, he represented the School of Liberal Arts on the Graduate Council from 1989 to 1996, was elected twice to the Faculty Senate, chaired its former Library Committee and its Curriculum Committee, and served on various other committees, including the International Students Advisory Committee. As Executive Secretary of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences, Professor Barber edited its newsletter and established its first statewide directory. He provided USI representation to the Indiana Consortium for International Programs.

After retirement, he continued being active in his field. He traveled extensively throughout the world and was a member of the Travelers' Century Club which is an organization for people who have visited more than 100 countries.

He had a life-long interest in philately and started stamp collecting as a young person. He attributed seeing images on stamps to fostering his interest in seeing the world for himself and his career in teaching international politics. He published an article, Impacts of Regional Postal Unions on Philately, in the December 2021 issue of The American Philatelist. He had encyclopedic knowledge and enjoyed interacting socially.

He was a devoted husband, brother, father, and grandfather who will be greatly missed.

A private family service will be held at a later date.

Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderEastChapel.com.