CLIFTON FORGE — Michael “Mike” Barnes, library director of the Clifton Forge Public Library, has begun planning for CFPL’s 50th Anniversary Celebration that is scheduled to take place in 2022.
Barnes, who was born in Oakland, Calif., in March of 1952, was hired as director in 2013. He is married to Catherine Smith whose grandfather, Charles Leonard “Mike” Smith Sr., ran Leonard’s Beauty Salon and College in Clifton Forge.
Catherine’s father, Charles Leonard “Mickey” Smith Jr., worked for the Social Security Administration for many years. Also, Keith Powell, a former C&O employee and fire chief for the City of Clifton Forge, was Catherine’s grandfather on her mother’s side of the family.
Barnes and Catherine met via eHarmony.com and were married in 2005. In 2010, the couple adopted their son, Michael Xavier Barnes, who is now 14. He attends Boys’ Home of Virginia.
The way Barnes came to Clifton Forge reads like one of Tom Clancy’s novels in that he has a military background in intelligence gathering that led him to serve overseas before settling down in Clifton Forge.
He recalled living in Oakland till he was 11. During that time, Dudley Barnes, his father, was a motorcycle policeman for the City of Oakland. While in hot pursuit of a vehicle on his motorcycle, Dudley was struck by a motorist. The accident resulted in a knee injury that ended his career in law enforcement. Shortly thereafter, he moved his family to Las Vegas.
Mike’s mother, Elizabeth Barnes, had been employed at art galleries in Oakland and nearby Berkeley. Frank Dudley, Mike’s uncle, continued to serve the City of Oakland as a police officer.
After living in Las Vegas for six months, Dudley moved his family to San Gabriel, CA for six months, then on to Concord, a short distance east of Oakland where Mike attended Clayton Valley High School where he graduated in 1970.
Mike recalled, “I was an athlete in high school, and I competed in both track and cross country until a knee injury made it impossible for me to run.”
While it is ironic that a knee injury negatively impacted both father and son, rather than abandon the two sports, Mike became the team manager for both.
Recalling his teenage years, Mike remembered, “I liked to go camping, but my father did not.”
After he asked his father why he did not want to go camping, Mike learned that his father had to camp during cold weather during his military service in France where he got all of the camping that he ever wanted during World War II.
Mike noted that his father often remarked, “My idea of roughing it is going to a motel where the ice machine is broken.”
Dudley was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart during World War II for his heroics in assisting the evacuation of the S.S. Leopoldsville that a German Submarine U-486 sank while the ship was crossing the English Channel on the day before Christmas in 1944. Dudley and his mortar crew where on the ship that was delivering troops for combat, but due to losing members of his mortar crew during the sinking of the ship, Dudley was provided with a rifle instead.
Following his graduation from high school, Mike took courses at Diablo Valley Junior College. After enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, he completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. His first assignment was at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS, where he received technical training in the Morse Preparatory Course. Additionally, he received technical training in the Radio Printer Systems Course.
Concerning today’s military jargon, Mike offered, “The job title in this day and age would be signal intelligence analyst.”
He continued, “The command I served in was called the United States Air Force Security Service which then became Electronic Security Command. We were known as the Silent Warriors.”
As a signal intelligence analyst, Mike served at three bases: Karamursel Common Defense Installation in Karamursel, Turkey, Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and Iraklion Air Station in Crete.
Summarizing his experience during those deployments, Mike said, “About 98 percent of the time each day was uneventful and boring, but two percent of the time was frantic and demanding.”
He continued, “If a critic was issued from an intelligence organization, it was imperative that it be quickly delivered to the president’s desk because it could be critical to national security.”
As for a memorable experience, Mike remembered, “While I was in the Philippines, I was able to see the POW’s from Viet Nam, including future Senator John McCain, land and get off the planes for their first stop at Clark Air Force Base.”
Mike’s U.S. Air Force career also included work as an inertial navigation technician. He received his technical training at Keesler Air Force Base, then worked on the inertial navigation systems (INS) for C-5 and C-141 aircraft at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif.
Later, he worked at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on the inertial navigation systems (INS) for F-4 and A-10 aircraft. He also worked as an avionic quality assurance inspector which included F-15, T-38 and T-39 aircraft.
In 1985, Mike was honorably discharged from the service as a staff sergeant. His decision to leave the U.S. Air Force was based on family considerations. Stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, he decided that he was too far away from Concord where his parents were facing health issues.
The distance and his concern for his parents’ health prompted Mike to return to CA. In doing so, he returned fully prepared by his military experience to further pursue his formal education.
He now holds three degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Arts in Practical Theology, both from Regent University, Virginia Beach in addition to his Master of Library Science from Clarion University in Pennsylvania.
As for life in Clifton Forge compared to the San Francisco and Oakland areas where he grew up, Mike emphatically prefers living in the rural setting Clifton Forge provides. He observed, “It is easy going here, and I prefer Clifton Forge.”
He continued, “Traffic out there is far more of a problem, and the pace of life is way too swift.”
As for the CFPL, COVID-19 has presented many challenges that Mike has met head on. One immediate decision was to set up a curbside service. Though the doors were necessarily locked, people could phone in their request for titles of interest or go online to reserve items.
Staff prepared the patrons’ requests and delivered the bagged items outside the door. Staff also continued to meet the public’s need for faxing, scanning and copying services through the curbside system, all the while maintaining the COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Though the doors are once again open, the library continues to offer curbside service for anyone wishing to use it, whether for safety or health concerns or just running on a tight schedule.
Mike remembered, “We had to be creative in the way we served people during COVID-19 because we had to close the doors.”
As for the Delta variant, Mike noted, “Right now we are waiting to see what happens, but we are not requiring the wearing of masks.”
Looking back at his accomplishments since being hired as director, Mike offered, “We have partnered with The Historic Masonic Theatre to present special author events such as Beth Macy, Beverly Lewis and Julia Keller.”
Also, he noted that the library has sponsored two successful Comic Cons in conjunction with the Masonic Amphitheatre, the Clifton Forge School for the Arts and the Alleghany Highlands Arts & Crafts Center.
During Mike’s tenure as director, CFPL has offered the public many opportunities, including GED classes, remediation to help students in the public schools and the provision of its facilities for various groups to meet.
Examples are as follows: the Veteran’s Administration, Congressman Morgan Griffith’s representative on a bi-monthly basis, the library’s reading group, the Brown Bag Club, a chair yoga workshop, toddler time, pre-school story time, Black History Month programs, Appalfolks of America’s board of directors monthly meetings, the Alleghany Highlands Writers’ Workshop and a wide selection of public programs featuring special speakers.
Mike offered high praise for his staff, Donnie Buzzard, Kathie Clarke and Iris Gilbert. He expressed his appreciation for their work throughout the pandemic and for their current efficiency in helping citizens who come to the library for help.
As for the CFPL’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, Mike is hopeful that the pandemic will have subsided and that his intention of recognizing the many deserving citizens who have contributed to the success of the library will be at the heart of the celebration.
Mike concluded, “People like Michael Armstrong and so many others have contributed so much to the library’s success that we hope to recognize their contributions as an important part of the celebration.”
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