(October 4, 2004) — The staff of Clark returned to work this year with one less friend on this planet. John Barnes, a legendary track and field coach and a former Olympian, died on Aug. 25 in a Suffolk, VA hospital at the age of 74. He died of multiple myeloma, a cancer that affects white blood cells. Barnes led an illustrious life in which he represented the United States in the 800-meter event at the 1952 Summer Olympics Games in Helsinki, Finland. His other athletic accomplishments include being a two-time NCAA champion, winning the 880-yard run in 1951 and the 800-meter run in 1952, all while attending Occidental College. One of his greatest athletic highlights was during the early 1950s, when he was a part of the United States’ 4×880-yard relay team that set a world record in 7 minutes 29.2 seconds. After graduating from Occidental College. He served as the first track and field coach at Crescenta Valley High School from 1962 through 1965. He then moved on to coach at Glendale High School from 1967 until 1992. He coached several outstanding athletes such as Dwight Stones, Lee Balkin, Richard Erbes, Bobby Thomas and Craig Harzmann. Barnes taught Government here at Clark for about 3 years. He retired this past June to Virginia. “He was an excellent teacher,” said Senior Administrative Secretary Barbara Melone as she reflected on Barnes’s life. “He cared for his students and nurtured and prepared them for the journey known as life. He never saw a kid as a bad person.” Principal Doug Dall said, “Mr. Barnes was very interested in influencing students in a positive way. He wanted his students and athletes to be good human beings foremost.” He was an optimistic and upbeat man. “He always enjoyed life,” Melone commented, “his positive view on life rubbed off onto his students.” He was also a Civil War buff, and collected any antiques he could find related to the Civil War. “He had such a huge passion and love for history, and he instilled that same passion and love into his students,” stated Melone. After leaving his full-time duties in 1992, he continued to volunteer his time and assist Glendale’s athletes. After being diagnosed with cancer, he moved to Virginia. His wife Barbara, two sisters, eight children and nine grandchildren survive him. One of his greatest athletic highlights was during the early 1950s, when he was a part of the United States’ 4×880-yard relay team that set a world record in 7 minutes 29.2 seconds. After graduating from Occidental College, he served as the first track and field coach at Crescenta Valley High School from 1962 through 1965. He then moved on to coach at Glendale High School from 1967 until 1992. He coached several outstanding athletes such as Dwight Stones, Lee Balkin, Richard Erbes, Bobby Thomas and Craig Harzmann. Barnes taught government here at Clark for about three years. He retired this past June to Virginia. “He was an excellent teacher,” said senior administrative secretary Barbara Melone. “He cared for his students and nurtured and prepared them for the journey known as life. He never saw a kid as a bad person.” Principal Doug Dall said, “Mr. Barnes was very interested in influencing students in a positive way. He wanted his students and athletes to be good human beings foremost.” He was an optimistic and upbeat man. “He always enjoyed life,” Melone said. “His positive view on life rubbed off onto his students.” He was also a Civil War buff, and collected antiques related to the Civil War. “He had such a huge passion and love for history, and he instilled that same passion and love into his students,” stated Melone. After leaving his full-time duties in 1992, he continued to volunteer his time and assist Glendale’s athletes. After being diagnosed with cancer, he moved to Virginia. He was survived by his wife Barbara, two sisters, eight children, and nine grandchildren.