J. Mac Barber, 91, died Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008, in Macon.
A memorial service will be held Friday, Dec. 12, 2008, at 2 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Commerce. The Revs. Hoyt A. Allen and David G. Bowen will officiate. The body has been donated to Emory University Medical School.
Barber, a lifelong politician and public servant was one of the most colorful figures in recent Georgia history. Known universally as “Mac,” Barber was born in Banks County, the son of the late William L. and Susan K. Barber. He grew up in Commerce.
He is survived by a niece, Angela G. Adams, Macon, and a great-nephew, James Adams III, and a great-niece, Kathryn A. Brooks, both of Macon. He was preceded in death by his wife, Janette McGarity Barber; two sisters, Marian Barber and Kathryn B. Gaultney, and brothers, William Ralph Barber and Dwight F. Barber.
Barber attended Georgia Tech and was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.
His political career was long and varied. He served in the Georgia Legislature from 1949 to 1973 as a representative from Jackson County. Georgia Public Television, the Fernbank Science Center and educational bills were among his major focuses. He served one term as mayor of Commerce, chaired the State Committee on Education, was president of the Georgia School Board Association and the Commerce Kiwanis Club. Barber chaired the board of the First United Methodist Church of Commerce, was long-time chair of the BJC Hospital Authority, was president of the chamber of commerce, chaired the Georgia Committee on Children and Youth, the Governor’s Conference on Education and the Jackson-Banks chapter of the American Red Cross.
Barber was honored for his accomplishments by the University of Georgia, Emory University, the Georgia Association of Educators, the Georgia Youth Council, the National Association of Retired People and the Georgia PTA.
Barber was known for his humility and his eagerness to help his constituents, a trait that endeared him to many but which created difficulties when he forgave medical bills owed at BJC Hospital or utility bills during his tenure as mayor. He knew virtually every politician and department head in Georgia and was always willing to make a phone call for someone in need.
“Mac” was also known locally and statewide for colorful quirks and idiosyncrasies. He used to leave his PSC office through a window so he wouldn’t be seen. If he was known locally for being slow to pay his bills, it is also true that money matters never seemed to interest him. Barber routinely turned down PSC pay increases and at one point had some $300,000 worth of uncashed checks for his service on the PSC. Barber once decided to attend a utility conference on the West Coast by car, taking along two PSC transportation officers along for the ride rather than flying. A notoriously erratic driver in his later years, Barber once wrecked a PSC car by driving off a loading ramp behind Quality Foods, and during his controversial tenure as mayor, Barber was known to circle City Hall two or three times to see who was waiting out front before parking across the street and walking up for the meeting. He listed his occupation in state documents as a “tree farmer” - he owned a certified tree farm in Banks County.
Above all, Barber stood for the working-class people and the down and out, whether in Atlanta or in Commerce. He was a consistent opponent of utility rate increases.
“Mac’s strength is that he works very hard,” commented fellow PSC member Bob Durden. “His weakness is he’s not issue-oriented. He was more interested in people than issues and the big picture.”
Barber’s integrity was challenged in 1985 when the attorney general’s office launched an investigation to see whether Barber had accepted bribes from trucking executives seeking a favorable ruling. Barber produced cash in envelopes and uncashed PSC payroll checks dating back to 1961 to prove his innocence, but faced with the possibility of indictment and still mourning the loss of his wife who had recently died, resigned. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing, and was subsequently re-elected to his old PSC seat.
He also successfully sued a former aide to Gov. Joe Frank Harris for defamation, settling for $400,000 - which he pledged to donate to the University of Georgia.
In 2002, Barber, then 85, ran against a former neighbor, Lauren “Bubba” McDonald for the Public Service Commission, claiming to be a resident of a Trout Lane mobile home in Banks County - where he had never lived. He withdrew after it was proven that he had not moved his voter registration from Commerce, which was in another PSC district.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the First United Methodist Church, 54 Cherry Street, Commerce, GA, 30529; or the Janette M. Barber Professorship, Family & Consumer Science Department, 224 Dawson Hall, UGA, Athens GA, 30602, or the donor’s favorite charity.
