John Richard Barnes
After graduation from College High, I attended the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a degree in accounting in 1964. There I met and, after graduation, married, Sharon Spraker from Muskogee. After OU, I went to work for Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG Peat Marwick) CPAs in Dallas in their audit group, and passed my CPA exam the next November. After a couple of years in audit, they sent me to a year of IBM programming and system design courses following which, I was tasked with designing and implementing a new management information system for the southwest region, which fortunately worked.

After being promoted to management in 1968, I left to join a fledgling computer firm, as Vice President and Controller and advanced to EVP before leaving. In 1970 I began my career in entrepreneurship, doing start ups and troubled turnarounds. Since that time I have been involved with starting and/or acquiring and turning around about 15 companies, three of which have reached values of over $100 million (most of it not mine), and each of those three experienced over 5% per week growth for multiple years, and several of the others reached values of zero or less. I have managed to lose more money during my career than I ever expected to make in my younger years, since I started out with none, and have had a lot of excitement and fun. The companies have ranged from telecom to women's apparel to computers to various phases of oil and gas. For the last 20 years I have been primarily in the oil and gas business, acquiring, drilling, and producing oil and gas wells, with an occasional sideline foray into telecom. I tried retiring for three days at 40, and couldn't handle it, so I'll probably keep working as long as I can. I have quit putting in the 60-80 hour weeks though, and am down to a normal work week.

We have a son (Bill) and a daughter (Brandy), each of whom has a son and a daughter. Both of my kids work in the family oil business. Bill is 41, and has a daughter (Brittney) who is 15, and a son, Alex, who is 12. Bill graduated from SMU and then got his Masters in International Management at the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). Brandy, 39, was a high school all American soccer player, who received an NCAA championship ring at the University of North Carolina before knee injuries required her to quit playing. She followed her UNC degree with a degree in fashion design at Parson’s School of Design in NYC. After 10 years in NYC as a fashion designer, Brandy moved back to the Dallas area. She has a son, Trace (6) and a daughter, Taylor (4), and, after remarriage, now also has a bonus son, Sam (14).

Sharon and I now live in Plano, TX, about 10 miles north of Dallas, where we are only a few minutes from my office, and a few minutes from our daughter and her half of my grandkids. Bill and his family live in Southlake, near DFW airport.
10/04/1942 - 01/21/2013
Barnes, John Richard was born in Hammond, Indiana on October 4, 1942 to Charles E. Barnes and Dorothy B. Routh Barnes. He left this life on January 22nd, 2013. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Sharon Spraker Barnes; daughter Brandy Barnes, her husband Ron Taylor; son, Robert William Barnes, John's sister, Mary Klayder; her husband, David Brown of Lawrence, Kansas and brothers, William J Barnes of Dallas and Bob Kent of Austin, TX. He was very proud of his five grandchildren; Sam Taylor, Brittney Barnes, Alex Barnes, Trace Rutherfurd and Taylor Rutherfurd. He leaves seven nieces and nephews.

After his 1960 graduation from College High in Bartlesville, OK, John attended the U. of Oklahoma where he received a BBA degree in accounting and economics in 1964. He passed the CPA test that same year while working for one of the major accounting firms. He left that firm to begin the life of an entrepreneur, creating many companies and the accompanying jobs as well. Over his lifetime he created over twenty companies in five different industries, including Carterfone Communications Corporation, U.S. Telephone Inc., (subsequently renamed Sprint by United Telephone), International Telecharge, Inc... He has been Vice President and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Dallas Opera and a member of its Executive Committee. He is a member of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers and of Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association and a member of ADAM Energy Forum. John was always involved with his church, serving in leadership positions. Dabbling in politics, he was a member of the Democrat think tank, the Center for National Policy. John loved children and sports, coaching many baseball and soccer teams. He coached people, changing lives in the process. He loved his friends, his family, his church, his community and his God. He was a magic man who will be deeply missed by many.