Vital Statistics
Name: Robert Gregg Barker
Date of Birth: June 20, 1973
Place of Birth: Steubenville, OH
Profession: Engineer / Manager
Height: 6' 4"
State of Residence: West Virginia
Interests: Film, dancing, music, chatting with friends over tea, hiking, camping in the mountains, traveling, history, politics, most computer things, Egyptology, ancient rituals, photography, languages, volunteering, HOBY, writing short stories, genealogy, anything that has more than 10,000 volts going through it, flying, skydiving, collecting movie props, autographs, biking, teaching, oxygen bars, clubbing, hunting turkeys, target practice, working with teens, entertaining guests, live music, live stand up comedy clubs, and home improvements.
Disinterests: Gardening (I keep killing plants), pet sitting, (violently allergic to all cats and some dogs), intimidation, mind games, -10 degree Fahrenheit weather, zucchini, crazy women, crazy men, and drama that is not on stage or screen.
The following is a short biography. I have taken to reading through the 15 years of journals and photos that I have collected. My recent move has given me a reason to go through with them. Now with hindsight I can look back and reflect on all of these events. From time to time, I will post more detailed stories from these eras.
The Start
Robert G. Barker was born in the industrial setting of the Upper Ohio Valley and raised in West Virginia. He is a 9th generation West Virginian whose ties go deep and far throughout the state. His mother Linda is a Brooke County teacher and school administrator. His father Robert is an electrical engineer for the Bayer Corporation. He has one younger brother named Donny.
Early Years
Robert grew up much much like the other children in the Ohio Valley area. He played T-Ball and joined the Cub Scouts. One of the most profound events in his life occurred when he was 8 years old. His grandmother Donnelly took him on a tour of the Middle East. For several weeks, Robert and his grandmother climbed the pyramids of Giza, sailed on the Dead Sea, and spent Christmas in Bethlehem. For the first time in his life Robert saw children his own age starving in the streets of Cairo. He would never be quite the same again.
Teen Years
Robert attended Brooke High School where he became the class president of his senior class of 365 students. He was an honor student who competed with his varsity swim team, took photographs for his senior yearbook, and acted and sang in spring musicals. Robert did a little bit of everything. He graduated with honors in 1991.
College
Robert attended Bethany College and West Virginia Institute of Technology where he studied Physics and Electrical Engineering respectively. He was active in the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity at both institutions. Robert rowed on the Varsity Crew team at Tech and wrote a column for the school paper.
Bethany College February, 1992
Productive Member of Society
Robert has worked in industry for the past seven years. He has been a sales engineer for process instrumentation companies, the plant engineer for a plastics facility, and a high voltage electrical supervisor for a integrated steel mill. He currently runs the electrical department at the Wheeling Corrugating Company in Beech Bottom, West Virginia. Robert comes from a family of engineers with his father and several uncles active in the fields. He is currently enrolled in the MBA program with the University of Phoenix.
Today
Robert's interests are eclectic. He is a movie aficionado with over 600 titles in his DVD collection. He enjoys all forms of music from classical to techno and believes dance is the best form of exercise. Robert is active in HOBY, the Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation for West Virginia. He is active in his local Masonic lodge, an active member of his college fraternity's alumni association, and volunteers at his church. Recently, Robert has purchased a brand new home that overlooks the Ohio River in the historic Victorian section of Wheeling, WV. The new place has allowed him to UNLEASH THE POWER OF HIS SOUND SYSTEM!! Completing his graduate degree this Christmas, he has many options but no particular desire for which direction to take it. He does have a strong sense of obligation to do something for the state and people.
