Bill Barrett, 83, Dallas philanthropist was co-owner of the nation's largest Coors distributor
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Thursday, July 27, 2006
By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
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Dallas philanthropist Bill Barrett – who shared his business success
with charities around the world – died Wednesday of complications of
cancer at UT Southwestern University Hospital. He was 83.
Mr. Barrett succeeded in business as co-owner of Willow Distributors
Inc., which became the nation's largest Coors distributor.
He was quick to help anyone in need, including the victims of the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Love for Kids, the charity he founded
30 years ago.
"His biggest hope and dream for everyone was that they would help
others in need," said his daughter Martha Barrett Zamorano of Dallas.
"Anywhere he saw a need," Mr. Barrett was there to help, she said.
In 1988, he was quick to donate $100,000 to start a fund for poor and
homeless Mexicans whose villages were ravaged by Hurricane Gilbert.
"He went there [Mexico] to help. He went to Bosnia to help orphanages
rebuild their school and playgrounds," his daughter said. "He went to
New York after the bombings and donated clothes, food and refreshment
for the firefighters. He actually got into Ground Zero before Vice
President Dick Cheney got there. Anywhere where he saw that he could
help somebody, he jumped in with both feet."
Mr. Barrett was a frequent and major supporter of Dallas charities,
including the Catholic Diocese of Dallas and The Dallas Morning News
Charities.
"He was one of the great stalwarts of The Dallas Morning News
Charities campaign over the years," said Robert W. Mong Jr., the
newspaper's editor. "His generosity and kindness inspired many others
to give, I suspect."
Mr. Barrett was known for bringing not only his checkbook to bear, but
also his knack for problem solving.
His financial contributions have helped impoverished farmers and
migrant workers in South Texas, Mother Teresa's work with the poor and
dying in India, terminally ill children and abused teenagers in Dallas.
"Bill has been a dear friend of mine for over 20 years," said Nancy
Barry, former vice president for community services at The News and
WFAA-TV (Channel 8). "He is absolutely one of the most generous men I
have ever met. We all dream of leaving a legacy. Bill Barrett did just
that. His generosity will be felt for generations to come."
The son of a traveling salesman, Mr. Barrett was a child of the Great
Depression. His father died when he was a toddler. Mr. Barrett was
raised by his mother in Meansville, Ga., about 60 miles south of Atlanta.
He learned business firsthand as a boy. He sold buttermilk from the
family farm for a nickel a quart to freight train crews.
By 1946, Mr. Barrett was living in Dallas, making 85 cents an hour and
working overtime to make ends meet. He took night courses at Southern
Methodist University, where he learned enough to strike out on his own
in business.
After hearing his business plans, Mr. Barrett's employer countered
with an offer to let him handle merchandizing for two beer labels,
Schlitz and Grand Prize, a Texas-brewed beer.
In 1956, Mr. Barrett was hired to run Lone Star Brewing Co. in Dallas.
At the same time, Oak Cliff – where Lone Star had 32 percent of its
Dallas market – went dry. Still, Mr. Barrett was able to increase
sales for each of the 10 years he was with the company.
In the mid-1960s, Coors was looking for a new Dallas distributor. Mr.
Barrett teamed with Raymond Willie, a Dallas businessman with
experience in liquor sales. The men were selected from a field of
2,500 applicants. Within 10 years, Willow was the nation's largest
Coors distributor.
"He was a wonderful dad. He loved my mom. They were married for 42
years," Ms. Zamorano said. Margaret "Babe" Barrett died in 1989.
Mr. Barrett was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas.
In 1999, Mr. Barrett gave $1 million to UT Southwestern Medical Center
to establish the Barrett Family Center for Pediatric Oncology. The
gift was matched to create a $2 million endowment to target
hematology-oncology research.
Services for Mr. Barrett will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Holy
Trinity Catholic Church in Dallas.
Viewing will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Sparkman Crane Funeral Home in Dallas.
In addition to Ms. Zamorano, Mr. Barrett is survived by two sons,
William D. Barrett Jr. and David Barrett, both of Dallas; two
daughters, Margaret McIntyre of Dallas and Mary Spies of Longview; and
nine grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to his charity, Love for Kids, 6250 E.
Mockingbird Lane, Suite 230, Dallas, Texas 75214.
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