The passing of Richard Barnes

It is with great sadness that I report that Richard Barnes passed away earlier this week from complications of lung cancer. 
 
Richard never smoked, but was exposed to secondhand smoke earlier in his life.
 
Richard worked with me for many years as his second career after he retired as a practicing lawyer in Oklahoma.  While working there he also served as the American Lung Association’s volunteer lobbyist, where (as described below) he played a key leadership role in passing important tobacco control legislation. 
 
After he “retired,” he applied for and won one of our first postdoctoral fellowship in tobacco control, then funded by the American Legacy Foundation (now called Truth Initiative).  Most postdocs are young people who just finished the PhD, MD, JD, DDS, or other doctoral degree.  It was unusual for such a senior person to apply to such a training position, but Richard made a strong case that he was using the fellowship to launch his second career.
 
And, as illustrated by the many important papers and reports he wrote with me (listed below) as well as his own independent writing he certainly did that.
 
I was so impressed with the quality of Richard’s work and his commitment to mentoring our trainees that I hired him to collaborate with me and mentor others.  He did so brilliantly until his second retirement a few years ago.
 
Richard was a kind and warm-hearted person, but his pleasant personality did not mean he had low intellectual standards.  Immediately after the FDA issued its rule requiring graphic warning labels on cigarettes, I gave Richard a copy (he already had it) and asked him what he thought of it.  He came back 15 minutes later and said it was poorly constructed, that they would get sued, and would lose.  Unfortunately he predicted exactly what happened.
 
But Richard did not fade away.  He continued teaching advocacy at UCSF and UC Hastings (the law school).  He also continued to do a popular workshop on practical tobacco control advocacy the night before we conducted our annual public workshop on how to use tobacco documents in advocacy.
 
California Governor Brown also appointed him to the State of California Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee where he helped guide the California Tobacco Control Program, including defending it from sometimes overly cautious lawyers in the California Department of Public Health.  His unique and important contribution to TEROC was illustrated by the fact that Governor Brown reappointed him even after he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. 
 
I visited Richard a couple times after I learned of his diagnosis and, while his body was failing, his brain was still sharp.  Among other things, he was actively thinking about how TEROC could help the California Tobacco Control Program move forward.
 
I already miss him.
 
To broaden this remembrance, here is the posting that his good friend from Tulsa Rena Cook posted:
 

All activist and resisters must read this. Richard Barnes’s life was a study in policy activism. He went to war against big tobacco and was instrumental in getting the clean indoor air policy passed in Oklahoma that eliminated smoking in restaurants and public buildings in 2003.  He researched and knew all the facts, statistics and studies about the health and environmental hazards of cigarettes. He knew what other states were doing on the same issue. He rallied troupes of volunteers and delegated tasks. He lobbied at the capital every day during session.  Both in the halls and in offices, he met with legislatures, staff, aides and aides of aides. In a professional yet insistent way, he spoke to whoever would listen. He knew how issues start in committee and how they move through committee to be heard as bills on the floor. He even wrote the verbiage for the final legislation because no elected member of congress understood his issue as clearly as he did. Oklahoma was only the 4th state to enact this type of legislation. He continued his anti-tobacco mission by moving to San Francisco to join the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education where he co-authored numerous articles on the dangers of tobacco, secondhand smoke and health hazards of cigarettes.  He also mentored numerous postgraduates to research and expose the tobacco industry malfeasance. This is the story of what one man with a mission, tenacity and grit can do. It is a lesson for us all. Richard Barnes was man among men.
Rest in peace, dear friend.
 
Onward,
Rena
 
Rena Cook
Vocal Authority
myvocalauthority.com
405 514-8605

 
In lieu of flowers: Please make a donation to the Oklahoma Chapter of the Lung Association http://www.lung.org/about-us/local-associations/oklahoma.html
 

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Richard’s eldest son would be the family address:
 
Jeff Barnes
8116 S. 70th East Pl
Tulsa, OK 74133
 
His service is Jan 8, 12:30 at Floral Haven in Tulsa.
 
Here are the peer reviewed papers Richard collaborated on, often as an important mentor to junior researchers:
 
Multiple streams approach to tobacco control policymaking in a tobacco-growing state.
Mamudu HM, Dadkar S, Veeranki SP, He Y, Barnes R, Glantz SA.
J Community Health. 2014 Aug;39(4):633-45. doi: 10.1007/s10900-013-9814-6.
 
Tobacco Industry Influence on the American Law Institute's Restatements of Torts and Implications for Its Conflict of Interest Policies.
Laposata E, Barnes R, Glantz S.
Iowa Law Rev. 2012 Nov;98(1):1-68.
 
Strong tobacco control program requirements and secure funding are not enough: lessons from Florida.
Kennedy A, Sullivan S, Hendlin Y, Barnes R, Glantz S.
Am J Public Health. 2012 May;102(5):807-17. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300459. Epub 2012 Mar 15.
 
Compromise or capitulation? US Food and Drug Administration jurisdiction over tobacco products.
Glantz SA, Barnes R, Eubanks SY.
PLoS Med. 2009 Jul;6(7):e1000118. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000118. Epub 2009 Jul 28. No abstract available.
 
Enacting tobacco taxes by direct popular vote in the United States: lessons from 20 years of experience.
Lum KL, Barnes RL, Glantz SA.
Tob Control. 2009 Oct;18(5):377-86. doi: 10.1136/tc.2009.029843. Epub 2009 Jun 25.
 
Endotoxins in tobacco smoke: shifting tobacco industry positions.
Barnes RL, Glantz SA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2007 Oct;9(10):995-1004. Review.
 
The tobacco industry's role in the 16 Cities Study of secondhand tobacco smoke: do the data support the stated conclusions?
Barnes RL, Hammond SK, Glantz SA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Dec;114(12):1890-7.
 
Here are the detailed case studied on state tobacco control policy making Richard helped mentor and guide:
Chipping Away at Tobacco Traditions in Tobacco Country: Tobacco Industry Political Influence and Tobacco Policy Making in North Carolina 1969-2011
Washington, Michelle, Barnes, Richard L, Glantz, Stanton  (2011)
 
Tobacco Control in North Dakota, 2004-2012: Reaching for Higher Ground
Rosenbaum, Daniel J., Barnes, Richard L., Glantz, Stanton A.  (2012)
 
Tobacco Control in California, 2007-2014: A Resurgent Tobacco Industry While Inflation Erodes the California...
Cox, Elizabeth, Barry, Rachel, Glantz, Stanton A., Barnes, Richard L. (2014)
 
Good Start Out of the Gate: Tobacco Industry Political Influence and Tobacco Policymaking in Kentucky 1936-2012
Washington, Michelle D., Barnes, Richard L., Glantz, Stanton A.  (2012)
 
The Stars Aligned Over the Cornfields: Tobacco Industry Political Influence and Tobacco Policy Making in Iowa...
Epps-Johnson, Tiana, Barnes, Richard, Glantz, PhD, Stanton (2009)
 
Tobacco Policymaking in Illinois, 1965-2014: Gaining Ground in a Short Time
Uang, Randy, Barnes, Richard, Glantz, Stanton A. (2014)
 
Tobacco Control in Hawai'i: Progress in Paradise
Barnes, Richard L, Jennifer R. McCarthy, Glantz, Stanton A. (2008)
 
Shifting Attitudes Towards Tobacco Control in Tobacco Country: Tobacco Industry Political Influence and Tobacco Policy Making in South Carolina
Sullivan, Sarah, Barnes, Richard L, Glantz, Stanton A.  (2009)
 
Tobacco Control in California 2003-2007: Missed Opportunities
Hong, Mi-Kyung, Barnes,, Richard L, Glantz, Stanton.  (2007)
 
The High Cost of Compromise: Tobacco Industry Political Influence and Tobacco Control Policy in Virginia, 1977-2009
Kierstein, Alex, Barnes, Richard L., Glantz, Stanton A. (2010)