Computer science professor Lewis Barnett remembered for kindness, passion for birding

Editor's Note: This article was updated to remove a euphemism from the lede.

Lewis Barnett III, professor of computer science emeritus at the University of Richmond, inspired those around him with his unwavering work ethic, kindness, wry sense of humor and love of all things computer science. Barnett died on Jan. 21 at age 61 after battling pancreatic cancer, according to a Jan. 25 email sent to faculty, staff and students. 

Barnett joined UR in 1990 and had a profound impact on the development of the computer science program, according to the email, which was sent by University Chaplain Craig Kocher. For 17 of his  30-year career at UR, Barnett served as coordinator of the mathematics and computer science department. He also held a nine-year term as department chair. 

Barnett authored more than 30 articles in local, national and international publications and developed a machine-learning classification system to identify different bird species from digital images. Birding was a longtime passion of his that he shared with both students and colleagues.  

Barnett is survived by his wife, Rebekah, and daughter and UR alumna, Elizabeth.

Barnett received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Furman University and master’s and doctorate degrees in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society, serving as UR’s chapter secretary for 14 years, according to the Jan. 25 email. 

Since 2006, Barnett had also served on the Board of Directors of the Richmond Audubon Society, dedicated to the observation and conversation of birds and other wildlife.

Barnett’s passion for birding was a hobby he greatly enjoyed sharing with his colleagues. Barry Lawson, professor of computer science and current coordinator of the mathematics and computer science department, would often send Barnett bird calls via text and see if he could identify them, Lawson said. Lawson could only recall one instance when Barnett did not know the answer.

Lawson, a longtime colleague and friend of Barnett, often thinks about the times they shared together when going to conferences or discussing another mutual passion: their love for beer, he said. 

“There’s so much good that can be said about [Barnett] as a human being,” Lawson said. “He was a great faculty member, a great servant of the university and of students, but he was just a fun human being. We got really close, and I was able to confide some things in him that I haven’t in anyone else. 

“I’m certainly going to miss him.”

Junior Darren McCarroll, a former student of Barnett’s, credits Barnett for helping him discover his passion for computer science through the way he interacted with his students, he said.

“The projects he assigned and the work we did with him was just always super interesting,” McCarroll said. “I had always wanted to study computer science in some form, and doing that in his classroom with his teaching style and way he would interact with students really fostered my interest in computer science and made me want to go down that path. 

“If I [had] had another professor [who] hadn’t been so engaged, then maybe I wouldn’t have majored in computer science in the end.” 

In honor of his devotion to service and recognition of his selflessness, Barnett’s department colleagues established the B. Lewis Barnett III Award for Outstanding Service in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science to be awarded to a student each year, according to the same email. It was first presented in April 2020. 

Kelling Donald, associate dean and professor of chemistry, taught the multifaceted Integrated Inclusive Science program for first-years alongside Barnett, and will always remember his kindness in and out of the classroom, he said.

“He wasn’t the kind of person who would be very loud in the room and be dominating conversations,” Donald said. “He was always very, very generous with his energy, his time and with his insight and resources. I think it’s that kindness and that willingness to contribute that I will remember.” 

When he wasn’t teaching a class, coordinating department meetings or helping his students, Barnett often assisted fellow colleagues with any issues he could help resolve.

Jane Berry, professor of psychology and chair of the psychology department, recalled a time when Barnett assisted her in understanding a programming package she used for a study she was conducting in her early years at UR. After receiving a large grant for her research and outsourcing the computer science aspects of her research to a consultant, Berry did not have the programming knowledge to understand the complexity of her consultant’s work. When Berry asked for assistance, she was eventually led to Barnett, she said.

“He very graciously came over to Richmond Hall and spent hours helping me understand the guts of the program,” Berry said. “I offered to pay him a consultant’s fee because I still had some money on the grant, but he wouldn’t hear it. 

“That was one of the most generous acts that someone could have shown me at a time when I was a young professor. He just was very generous with his time and talents to help a fellow colleague and I’ll never forget his generosity there.” 

The date for a memorial service for Barnett will be planned for a later time. Barnett’s family has requested donations be made to richmondaudubon.org and Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in his memory. 

Contact features writer Quinn Humphrey at quinn.humphrey@richmond.edu.