Thomas was born on October 28, 1957 in Conde, SD. He was the son of Ola Barnes and Donna Hynes. Dr. Thomas G. Barnes, 56, of Barbourville, formerly of Lexington, the husband of Jamie Carter Barnes, passed away Sunday morning, October 12, 2014 at his home. He was a son of the late Ola and Donna Hynes Barnes.[1]
Dr. Barnes was an Extension Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist at the University of Kentucky. He was a member of the Catholic Newman Center. Additionally, he was an author and accomplished photographer.
On April 4, 2014, he united in marriage with Jamie Carter in Pineville.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Mary Barnes Volk and Theresa Barnes and a brother, Joseph Barnes. [2]
Tom Barnes passed away on October 12, 2014 after a long battle with illness. This is a great loss to the KNPS family and the conservation community of Kentucky as well as to his loved ones. Tom was not only a former KNPS president, but also a generous man who gave freely of his time and talents to this and many other conservation organizations. He regularly led field trips and gave presentation on biodiversity issues to groups of all types, from local garden clubs to the KNPS Wildflower Weekends. In many ways, Tom personified the KNPS; he was a respected academic whose invasive species management research influenced land managers in Kentucky and throughout the nation, including the graduate students he mentored, but his real passion was educating the general public about biodiversity issues.
He truly loved nature for its beauty, as well as understanding its scientific importance.
An accomplished photographer, his photographs appeared in books, websites, calendars,
magazines, and other outlets all over the world, including at the Chicago Botanical Garden,
the Audubon Aquarium, the Smithsonian and the Bronx Zoo—but he allowed groups like
KNPS free access to his photos provided they were used to educate the public on
biodiversity issues.
As the wildlife extension professor in the Department of Forestry at the University of
Kentucky, Tom authored more than 50 scientific research articles, 60 cooperative extension
publications and 100 magazine articles, most of which focused on native plants and natural
areas. His research emphasis has been on the restoration of native grasslands and his
extension programs focus on the conservation of biodiversity and wildlife management.
Tom may be best known for his natural history books, many of which were co-sponsored by
the KNPS. His book, Kentucky’s Last Great Places, was nominated for the Kentucky Literary
Award in non-fiction. Other published books include Gardening for the Birds, The
Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky with Dr. Wilson Francis, The Rare Wildflowers of
Kentucky with Deborah White and Marc Evans, The Gift of Creation––Images from Scripture
and Earth with Norman Wirzba, and How to Find and Photograph Kentucky Wildflowers. His
most recent book, Kentucky, Naturally: the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund at
Work, was just published in July 2014. In 2003 Kentucky’s Last Great Places also inspired the
Kentucky Educational Television production of the same name, the most popular program in
the network’s history. Tom created and hosted another popular KET program focusing on
native plants in 2007, A Walk Through Kentucky’s Wildflower [3] [4]
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Featured National Park champion connections: Thomas is 19 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 24 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 18 degrees from George Catlin, 17 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 25 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 16 degrees from George Grinnell, 30 degrees from Anton Kröller, 18 degrees from Stephen Mather, 24 degrees from Kara McKean, 20 degrees from John Muir, 22 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 28 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
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Categories: Tanyard Cemetery, Barbourville, Kentucky