Robert Barton

Robert N. Barton of Houston, Texas, 70, passed away peacefully August 25, 2014, after an extended illness. Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 3, 2014, at HarperTalasek Funeral Home in Temple, Texas. Burial will follow at Bellwood Memorial Park in Temple.

Mr. Barton was born on November 22, 1943, to the late William A. Barton, Sr. and Margaret Simmonds Barton. He grew up in Temple Texas with his siblings, Bill and Ben, where he attended grade school and junior high school. Robert attended high school at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he graduated in the class of 1961. He attended Baylor University from 1961 1965, graduating with a degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, with an emphasis on painting. He did postbaccalaureate study in Art History, Painting, and Drawing from 1966 to 1967 at the University of New Mexico. He completed his graduate studies with a master of Fine Arts in painting and graphics from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1969. Along his education path he obtained his Teacher Certification for the State of Texas Elementary Art, Secondary Art, and Advanced Placement Art in 1966 from North Texas State University.

Mr. Barton had a lengthy and successful career teaching art at various levels of his educational profession. From 1969 through 1976, he was the head of the painting department at the Louisville School of Art in Anchorage, Kentucky, where he taught college level painting classes, adult education classes, wrote course descriptions for presentation seeking accreditation, and served as faculty representative to the Board of Directors, Louisville Art Center Association. From 1977 through 1979, he was Coordinator of the Art Department at Brescia College in Owensboro, Kentucky, where he taught college level painting and drawing originated the Annual Kentucky High School Exhibit at Brescia for recognition of high school students organized, chartered, and sponsored the Chapter of Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity and served on the reevaluation committee for selfstudy and reaccreditation. After a brief stint as a sales representative with DAYTEX Industries, he returned to teaching in 1984. He taught middle school and high school Art in the Liberty Independent School District from 1984 through 1996. From 1996 until his retirement, he taught Art in high school in Stafford, Texas. Mr. Barton, throughout his career, participated in many group and oneman exhibits in invitational and juried exhibitions of his work and received numerous artistic awards from his numerous exhibitions, including the prestigious W. K. Kellog Foundation Fellowship in 1979 to participate in the College 179 educational experience sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges.

Mr. Barton enjoyed traveling and was an avid hunter and fisherman, traveling to Argentina occasionally for dove hunting. He also enjoyed water coloring, painting, roaming art museums, and being in the company of family.

Mr. Barton was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Margaret Barton, and his older brother, William A. Barton, Jr.

He is survived by his son, Robert N. Barton, Jr., and wife Gini, and their children, Robert N. Barton, III Bobby and Mindi his daughter, Ardith E. Mendell and her husband, Frank, and their children, Haley and Aden and his twin brother, Ben M. Barton and family, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and companion Mary Jane Miller, all of whom loved him and will miss him.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Texas Wetlands Conservation and Preservation Society of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, or the charity of your choice.