Barry Barger, an AISC Special Achievement Award winner and five-decade fabrication industry veteran, died November 21 at age 79.
Barger spent 40 years at Southern Iron Works, Inc. in Springfield, Va., and retired as the company’s senior vice president of operations. He began his career at Fred S. Gichner Iron Works and moved to Jarvis Steel Company before taking a job at Southern Iron Works. He was a prominent figure in the steel industry and sat on several AISC committees, including stints as vice chair of the Committee on Manuals and Textbooks and the Committee on the Code of Standard Practice. He earned his AISC Special Achievement award in 2002 for his role in developing the 2000 AISC Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges.
“Barry had a passion for our industry, and it led him to contribute generously of his knowledge and wisdom,” said AISC president Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD. “He knew the technical and the commercial--a rare combination--and made the AISC Steel Construction Manual and the Code better for having him as a committee member for both.”
Barger was born in Hagerstown, Md., and completed his bachelor’s degree in structural engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda, and his parents, Virginia and John Barger. He is survived by his children, Lori (Jeff), Sheri (Kurt), and his grandchildren, Kelly (Chase), Madison, Sarah (Asher), and Alexandra. He is also survived by his brother, Darryl, sister-in-law, Donna, and their children, Jessica and DJ.