Obituary: Herbert Barry III, Ph.D. | Longtime Pitt professor, researcher who was recognized for his work in psychopharmacology

By Janice Crompton / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Herbert Barry, Ph.D., would sooner have cut off his own foot than put down his pen or forfeit a single volume in his massive collection of beloved books.

So attached was he was to history, research psychology and teaching that Mr. Barry — even at the age of 91, two decades after his retirement as emeritus professor of pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy — wrote a book, “A Professor's Perspective: Essays on the 45, Not 46, U.S. Presidents from Washington to Biden.”

“He retired, but he never quit. He was brilliant at everything he did,” said his longtime friend, protege and colleague, Aylene Harper, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the Community College of Allegheny County since 1970. “He was a prolific researcher, writer and professor. He was very thorough and very successful. I learned so much from him, believe me.”

Mr. Barry, of Oakland, died Jan. 9 in his sleep. He was 94.

Over the years, Mr. Barry published more than 250 research articles, studies and white papers, along with several books.

In addition to his work in academia, Mr. Barry had an abiding interest in the history of U.S. presidents and he penned a column for the Western Pennsylvania Mensa Society — where he was, of course, a member.

He also wrote dozens of letters to editor to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, expressing thoughtful opinions on everything from taxes and laws to voting rights.

“Back in those days when he started in the ‘50s and ‘60s, it was publish, publish, publish among academics,” said his nephew John Baker, of Norwalk, Conn. “He wrote hundreds of essays and books and papers during the week. Then, he’d write about the presidents on the weekends.”

Born in Manhattan, N.Y., some of his destiny was already established at birth. The son of a prestigious psychiatrist and a third-generation Harvard legacy, Mr. Barry attended a boys’ prep school in New Hampshire, then it was off to Harvard, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social relations in 1952.

At Yale University, he received a master’s degree the following year and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology in 1957.

In 1963, he came to Pitt as a research associate professor in the School of Pharmacy, where he became a full professor in 1970 and served until his retirement in 2001.

His work as a professor, research psychologist and author was extensive and widely admired for its findings in psychopharmacology, the scientific study of how drugs affect the mind and body, and cross-cultural studies, which examines human behavior in different cultures and psychohistory.

Mr. Barry’s research over the years was published in scientific journals and established interesting theories, such as a predilection to become an alcoholic for the youngest boys in large families, the calming effect of marijuana for more aggressive personalities, and the higher likelihood of psychosis, such as schizophrenia, for people born between January and April.

Along with his work in pharmacology, Mr. Barry was appointed an adjunct professor in anthropology and wrote books on the subject, including “Cross Cultural Samples and Codes,” and “Adolescence: An Anthropological Inquiry,” studying the reasons people act differently and the ways adolescence is viewed in various cultures.

Mr. Barry was also very active outside the classroom, serving as director of the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation from 1996 to 2011. The group was named for Robert Schalkenbach, a social reformer who promoted the ideas of Henry George, a 19th-century economist and social reformer.

With his “thick eyebrows and rumpled suits,” he certainly looked the part of an academic, his nephew said.

“He worked hard — he was always reading and researching.

“He was intensely curious about everything in life,” he said. “He was a classic academic — really smart and thoughtful and engaged.”

He enjoyed swimming and squash and lived in a modest apartment near campus, where he could walk to work.

His uncle’s humble view of his career was “slightly better-than-average success,” his nephew said, despite winning several prestigious national awards such as the Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institute of Mental Health, Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for the Stimulus Properties of Drugs, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Psychohistory Forum in 2023.

Mr. Barry even has an entry in the IMDB, the internet movie database, for a 2011 documentary that centered around a tobacco company whistleblower called “Addiction Incorporated,” in which his name was used.

His 2021 book about the presidents, “A Professor's Perspective: Essays on the 45, Not 46, U.S. Presidents from Washington to Biden,” compiled 54 essays that Mr. Barry had written about U.S. presidents since 1986.

His nephew helped to collect the essays and publish the book, which is available on Amazon.

“When he was getting older, I could see he was frustrated during my visits and it’s hard because his life was going to conferences and speaking,” he said. “So, I suggested putting essays into a book and that’s how it came to be.”

In the book, Mr. Barry pointed out his belief that Donald Trump ought to be the 44th president, not the 44th and 46th.

The only other president who served two non-consecutive terms was Grover Cleveland, known as the 22nd and 24th president. But, some argue that since presidents who serve two consecutive terms aren’t counted twice, why should those who serve non-consecutive terms be counted two times?

Not surprisingly, Mr. Barry caught onto the advent of computers quickly, Ms. Harper said.

“Herb did computer programming long before it was ever in vogue,” she said. “He developed his own coding long ago and his own computer system. He was in Mensa — I mean, the guy was brilliant.”

A great reader, Mr. Barry’s family has been sorting through his massive collection of books in recent days.

“There has to be 500 books just on U.S. presidents,” his nephew said. “They are on three walls and his bedroom is full of books about Abe Lincoln.”

In recent years, Mr. Barry continued singing in the choir at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh and playing chess, a game he loved.

“He loved to play chess on the university team and taught chess to kids,” Ms. Harper said.

Although he was a confirmed bachelor, Mr. Barry cherished the 20-plus years he spent with his companion Helene Borke, a clinical psychologist and faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University.

Before Ms. Borke died in 2014 of Alzheimer’s disease, Mr. Barry made the most of the time they had left.

“He went to her memory care facility to visit her every day for lunch and he even bought a meal plan,” his nephew said.

Ms. Harper said she feels lucky to have had such a remarkable research partner and friend.

“He could have worked in any field — he was very versatile and just amazing. We were socially friends and he was a wonderful gentleman, but I considered him more of a mentor,” she said. “He would let me work with him on various projects and I considered it a privilege to know him and work with him.”

A memorial service will be held for family and friends 10:30 a.m. on March 15 at the Heinz Memorial Cathedral in Oakland; reception to follow at The Oaklander Hotel, 5130 Bigelow Blvd..

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Correction, posted Jan. 16, 2025: In an earlier version of this story, Mr. Barry’s book, “A Professor's Perspective: Essays on the 45, Not 46, U.S. Presidents from Washington to Biden,” had an incorrect publish date. The book was published in 2021.