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→James Herman Barrett, Jr.,
Jim became very active in many church, neighborhood and community activities and groups dealing with social concerns. He was a regular supporting member of the Pensacola Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, serving on the Ministerial Committee. He also worked with Zero-Population Growth, manning ZPG’s booths at fairs, and with Escambia AIDS Services and Education (EASE). He was a lifetime member of the Pensacola Retired Officers Association and served on the Scholarship Committee. He was active in Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and served on the board of the local gay and lesbian publication, Christopher Street South. He was a friend and advocate of lesbian and gay rights and was considered to be extended family by many in the community.
He also organized and served as chairman of his Neighborhood Watch program, and personally welcomed all new residents to his neighborhood of 27 homes. He was also a member and supporter of the National Organization for Women and served as a volunteer clinic escort for about 18 months at the Ninth Avenue [[Ladies Center]] abortion clinic, which was at the center of the [[Christmas abortion bombings]] in 1984.
'''Death'''
On Friday morning, July 29, 1994, Jim drove into the Ladies Center with Dr. John Bayard Britton by his side in the passenger seat and his wife, June, in the back jump seat. [[Paul Hill][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Jennings_Hill], a regular protester, was already there. Jim drove in and parked. As he stepped out of the truck, Paul Hill opened fire with a shotgun. Jim and Dr. Britton were killed instantly and June was wounded and left for dead.
Jim said he saw the escorting as an extension of his military service. “My dad was a military man, and there’s a stereotype of the military man, that he’s all about war,” his daughter, Dandy Barrett Witty, said. “But dad taught me from the time I could understand that his primary mission was to keep the peace. That’s what his feeling was the day he died.” Jim himself was very direct about why he chose to serve as an escort. “I’ve spent my life doing my best for the security of my country and the people who live in it,” he had told a Pensacola area newspaper. “Why should I stop now?”
Graveside servesservices, with military honors, were held Monday, August 8th , 1994[http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jbarrett.htm] in Arlington National Cemetery, with Rev. Roderick, Brown, Unitarian Universalist minister from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, formerly of Pensacola, giving the eulogy.
Survivors include included his wife, June G. Barrett, now living who died in Silver Springs, Maryland2011; his son, Bruce M. Barrett: daughter, Dandy Barrett Witty: step-daughter, Dr. Mary Holly Allison, Silver Spring, Maryland; brother, Reginald A. Barrett; Annapolis, Maryland; grandsons, Sean M. Witty and Jason M. Witty.
