Noble Barnes

Noble E. Barnes, 87, of Morehead City, N.C. passed away on Saturday, February 13th at his home, surrounded by his family.

His memorial service is at 11 a.m. Friday at All Saints Anglican Church in Newport with the Rev. John H. Grayson officiating. The family will receive friends and family at the church one hour prior to the service.

He was born in Phoenix, Arizona on September 11, 1922, the son of a U.S. Treasury Agent, the family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1932. His gift for music was already evident: he had begun music training as a choir boy in Episcopal churches in the West; these studies continued after the move to Washington. He studied trombone, tuba, and music theory in the District of Columbia public schools and served three years in the Third Regiment of the High School Cadet Corps at Eastern High School. He completed a stellar scholastic music career by serving as Regimental Drum Major at Eastern High School and later as Brigade Drum Major for all of Washington, D.C.'s high schools. His imposing presence at six feet, six inches in height and his strong baton technique made for a commanding leadership image admired by all who served under him.

Mr. Barnes began his professional career with the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company in the 1940's. In all, he would serve 43 years for the company, through two name-changes (Bell Atlantic and Verizon) and an eventual promotion to the management level, serving in that capacity for 18 years. A lineman, installer, and central office technician and supervisor, Mr Barnes reached his most rewarding assignemt as an Instructor for the Plant Training and Development Center located in College Park, Maryland. As a teacher, he wrote the manual for a number of Bell System courses and the software for three Washington, D.C. metropolitan area telephone switching centers.

But it was the avocation of music that would provide Mr. Barnes with his greatest notoriety. In 1940, Mr. Barnes joined the Washington Redskins Marching Band as a trombonist. The band was in its fourth year having been an outgrowth of the former Thompson's Dairy Band used by the team since 1937 after the Redskins had moved from Boston. The Washington Redskins Band in the 1940's had an outstanding collection of musicians in its ranks including those from the U.S. Navy, Army, and Marine Bands--including former members of Sousa's Band. Mr. Barnes began to move up in the ranks serving as Unit Chief of the trombone section and, by 1953, was Music Librarian and Rehearsal Conductor. In 1961, as the team moved from Griffith Stadium to D.C. (now RFK) Stadium, he was appointed Director--a post he held until his retirement in 1985. In 1979, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) awarded him the prestigious "Music in Sports" Award in recognition of his work linking pro football with his career-long support of musicians, composers, and music arrangers. Mr Barnes also served as drum major for the Almas Temple Shrine Band and as Choir Director at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

His relocating to Morehead City, N.C. in 1985 meant no slowing down for the now-retired telephone man and amateur musician. He plunged into civic affairs with gusto acquiring an impressive list of contributions to the future welfare of Morehead City and Carteret County. The list: the Morehead City Board of Adjustments, the Carteret County Council on Aging, Building Chairman for the Leon Mann, Jr. Enrichment Center, the Fort Macon Advisory Board, Chairman of the Carterest County Aging Planning Board, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Habitat for Humanity, Martha's Mission Food Giveaway Programs, the Morehead City Parks and Recreation Department as a T-Ball Umpire, the N.C. Kid Fest, the N.C. Seafood Festival Roadrace as a Timer, and the N.C. Blackbeard Festival.

Mr. Barnes coordinated three events for the Senior Games since the Games' inception in Carteret County and served on the Carteret County 2000 Census Committee. He served as the Morehead City's Lions Club Treasurer for 19 years and was noted for giving the shortest Treasurer's report in that Club's long history: his statement at each meeting that "we're solvent" has gone down as stuff for genuine folklore. He served on the Vestry at St. Andrew;s Episcopal Church and, as instructor of acolytes at both St. Andrew's and All Saints Anglican Church. In 1999 received the Aging Advocate of the Year Award given by the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Lantz Barnes. He is survived by one daughter, Louise Barnes Hughes and husband, David, of Beaufort and one son, Stephen Hayden Barnes and wife, Mary, of Milledgeville, GA; one grandaughter, Kate Hughes Short and husband, Drew; three grandsons, Timothy E. Barnes, T. Hayden Barnes, Colin W. Barnes; two great-grandchildren, D. Noble Short and Darby Drew Short; and long time friend Barbara "Bunny" Flippo.

The family will receive friends in the church hospitality room following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to All Saints Anglican Church, 292 McCabe Road, Newport, NC 28532 or Morehead City Lions Club, c/o John Pollard, 908 Davis Place, Morehead City, NC 28557.