In Memory and Honor of Bernard F. Barcio

Our father, Bernard (Bernie) F. Barcio, passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 20th, 2023. Bernie's parents, Theodore and Stella (Nudi) Barcio, immigrated to the United States from Italy. Bernie believed strongly that education is crucial to building a better life and a better community. He earned his AB from Holy Cross Seminary (1960); Master of Arts from the University of Michigan (1962); and Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary) from Butler University (1986). He enjoyed a long and fruitful career as a beloved and accomplished teacher of Latin and classical Greek at the high school and university levels.

Bernie made headlines throughout his teaching career, most notably for earning the honor of Indiana State Teacher of the Year in 1986, and as the founder and director of the National Catapult Contest, an achievement for which he was profiled in such media outlets as Sports Illustrated, NBC News, ABC News, and Seventeen Magazine. The epic photo at the top of this page shows Bernie in the prime of that great adventure, ca. 1974, when he was in his 30s and employed as a Latin instructor at Park School (where he met and fell in love with Lillian Rose, our mother, who was, at the time, an administrative assistant to the school's headmaster).

In remembrance of our father's legacy, and of the education he worked so hard to give us, we, Bernie's children, are creating a scholarship fund to be established at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for first-generation Americans who are engaged in studying classical languages. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, we ask that those wanting to make a gesture of love toward our father consider donating to this fund in his honor. This scholarship will help other first-generation Americans get the education our father loved, shared, and strived toward always.

For information on Bernie's memorial service and to read a full obituary, please visit the Flanner Buchanan website.