Irving Barber, founder of Slocan Forest Products, died at 89 in his Tsawwassen home last Friday.
Barber was a forester who graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree in 1950.
Barber enjoyed significant financial success that began with his start up of Slocan when he was 55. For 23 years he built the company into one of the leading lumber producers in North America and retired as chairman in 2002.
In his retirement years, Barber began sharing his wealth.
Besides donating $20 million to the University of B.C. Learning Centre, he contributed $500,000 to UNBC in 2002 to build the I.K. Barber Forestry Lab.
The $1.4-million enhanced forestry lab allowed UNBC researchers to address demands from the forest industry in areas like vegetation, soils and environmental conditions.
"When you think about Ike Barber giving to UNBC, I'd say it's been in at least two ways," said Rob van Adrichem, UNBC's vice president of external relations. "One was financial. The enhanced forestry lab was the first building constructed after the main period of construction was completed on the university in the mid-90s. I think it really helped to establish in a very physical way the research focus of UNBC. To have it in forestry and forest management I think set a great tone for what kind of university this was going to be and how its research was going to be directly applicable to the region and Ike was an early believer -- a very passionate believer -- in that."
Barber also gave to provincial foundations to establish provincial awards especially for aboriginal or international students or students transferring to a university from a college, added van Adrichem.
"As a financial contributor to UNBC, he's been a very important donor to the university. But when you think of Ike's giving to UNBC I'd say it's been his spirit and his ideas and his faith in what we're doing and his passion for the region," van Adrichem said. "You hear about money or programs or equipment or buildings but sometimes it's that more emotional kind of support and that's what he really brought to UNBC. Without any question, that's his greatest legacy here."
Barber's focus was to direct funding to projects that would strengthen the province and improve the quality of life for B.C. residents.
In Prince George, one of the many projects funded through UBC's Learning Centre was the Committed To Memory project that sees newspapers from the region made available online from as far back as 1909, allowing the public easy access to these records.
"He had a great vision for education and a vision for community history that went beyond the communities that he lived and worked in, and it stretched right across the province," said Marc Saunders, public service manager at the Prince George Public Library. "I think he really and truly had a great vision for libraries and not just public but academic in terms of learning and preserving local culture and history."
Allan Wilson, chief librarian at the Prince George Public Library, met Barber on many occasions and said he is greatly saddened by his passing.
"Mr. Barber was a wonderfully warm man," said Wilson. "He was one of those great people that could speak to any audience and make them understand his vision and the key thing that I liked about him as a businessman was that he thought about the social consequences of business. It wasn't just libraries but all his other visionary aspects and he always thought of how a company was situated in its environment and in its community. He walked the talk."
Barber is survived by his wife, Jean, three children, nine grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.
