U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and Industry Leader to Receive 2022 Lone Sailor Award
The United States Navy Memorial will honor James Rex Barker, Coast Guard veteran and currently Chairman of The Interlake Steamship Company, with the 2022 Lone Sailor Award.
The Lone Sailor Award is given to Sea Service veterans who have excelled with distinction in their respective careers during or after their service. The award will be presented at the Lone Sailor Awards Dinner on September 22, 2022. The Lone Sailor Awards Program will air online on September 27, 2022.
“Jim Barker is the epitome of the American story,” said Rear Admiral Frank Thorp, USN (Ret), President and CEO of the U.S. Navy Memorial. “His patriotism, civic-mindedness and character came through very clearly in Coast Guard District Nine Commander’s nomination for Mr. Barker to receive the Lone Sailor Award.”
A man synonymous with the maritime industry for more than five decades, James Rex Barker’s destiny was charted at 9 months old when he took his first ride on an ore boat.
Deeply respected in the industry, Barker was universally regarded as a first-class businessman. He remained humble, approachable, and fiercely dedicated to taking care of employees he considered family.
Barker grew up in a family where men served on the Great Lakes. His grandfather was the butcher and his Uncle Adolf was the captain on the supply boat at Sault Sainte Marie which supplied the fleet that he eventually bought.
He later became chairman and president of The Interlake Steamship Company, which today is the largest privately held U.S.-flagged fleet on the Great Lakes operating nine vessels including a 1,004-foot bulk carrier christened the M/V James R. Barker.
Born on August 3, 1935 to parents William Wardel Barker and Ranghild Elizabeth Barker in Cleveland, Ohio, Barker graduated from Lakewood High School in 1953.
Ranked scholastically, he was awarded a four-year scholarship to Columbia University. After graduating in 1957, he returned to Lakewood to marry his childhood sweetheart, Kaye. Shortly afterwards, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard and attended the officer’s training school in New London, Connecticut. He was commissioned as an Ensign in April 1958. He was assigned to the USCG base Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan as the executive officer under legendary Commander Elmer Bodenlos, overseeing commercial shipping and search and rescue operations.
After two more years in Cape May, New Jersey, the now Lieutenant Junior Grade Barker applied to Harvard Business School noting his sole objective was to return to Cleveland and “work for The Interlake Steamship Company”. He entered the MBA program at Harvard Business School majoring in transportation and finance and graduated with distinction in 1963.
He returned to Cleveland and joined the Pickands Mather Marine Department, which operated Interlake. He devoted the next four years to the nuts and bolts of Great Lakes shipping.
In 1967, Barker took a position as a consultant for Harbridge House in the transportation group. His clients included American Mail Line, American President Line, Delta and others, as well as railroads and airlines. He was promoted to Vice President of Transportation in 1968.
In 1969, Barker co-founded Temple, Barker and Sloane, an economic consulting firm, with Peter Temple, Carl Sloane and Paul Cherington, who at the time was Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Nixon Administration. He was asked to become Chairman, President and CEO, which made him one of the youngest CEOs to head a public company.
In April 1971, he was elected Chairman, President and CEO of Moore McCormack. He was joined by a Harvard Business School classmate, Paul R. Tregurtha, who helped him grow Moore McCormack into a resources/water transportation company.
In 1976, because of his lobbying in Washington D.C. on behalf of Great Lakes shipping, he was honored as Great Lakes Marine Man of the Year by Le Sault de Sainte Marie Historical Sites and installed in the Great Lakes Hall of Fame.
During the Reagan Administration, Mr. Barker served as a member of the Services Policy Advisory Committee of the United States Trade Representative. He also served on the Business Advisory Committee of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University, on the Board of Visitors of Columbia College, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School from 1982 to 1992. Mr. Barker has served on various Boards of Directors, including the boards of GTE (1976-2000), Verizon (2000-2007) and Brink’s (2000-2007).
In 1982, a nationwide recession suddenly struck. It was a cloud whose silver lining provided Barker the opportunity in 1987 to purchase Interlake. In 1994, the Barker and the Tregurtha families purchased Moran Towing Company, the oldest and largest tugboat company on the East and Gulf Coasts.
In 1995, the non-profit United Seamen’s Service (USS) presented Barker with its prestigious Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award for his dedication the U.S. Maritime industry.
In 2006, Stamford Hospital in Connecticut presented him with its Leadership Award for his efforts to help lead the hospital into the 21st century. He served on Stamford Hospital’s board for 26 years and was chairman twice.
Along with the love of his life, Kaye, he has three children – James A. of Darien, CT, Karen Marcou of Washington, D.C., and Mark Barker of Rocky River, Ohio, and seven grandchildren.
He will join an impressive list of men and women who have distinguished themselves by drawing upon their military experience to become successful in their subsequent careers and lives while exemplifying the core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
For more information concerning the Lone Sailor Awards Dinner previous award recipients or sponsorship opportunities, contact Erin Harroun at EHarroun@NavyMemorial.org or visit www.NavyMemorial.org.
The US Navy Memorial is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to Honor, Recognize and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present and future; and to Inform the public about their service. The Navy Memorial is located at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.