Barth invigorated arts at BC

"We are all artists in God's eyes; when we build, create a family, or work on our lives, we celebrate God's love," said the late Rev. J Robert Barth, S.J., in a homily in April 2002. As a Jesuit and a champion of the arts, Barth celebrated this love throughout his life and his tenure at Boston College.

Barth died Wednesday of renal cell cancer. He was 74.

As dean of the College of Arts & Sciences from 1988-1999, Barth created a "renaissance of the arts" at BC, according to John Michalczyk, fine arts chair. He is credited for establishing the music and theatre departments, overseeing the opening of the McMullen Museum of Art, and founding the Arts Council, which organizes the annual Arts Festival.

"He was the greatest champion of the arts that BC has ever had," said Jeffery Howe, professor of fine arts and chair of the Arts Council.

Barth first came to BC as the Thomas L. Gasson Chair in the 1985-86 academic year. He was invited back a couple of years later to become the dean of A&S, a position he held until 1999 when he stepped down and eventually became the inaugural James P. McIntyre professor of English.

"He was such a wonderful human being. He was really utterly warm and interested in people, and curious and enthusiastic about everything," said Howe. "He managed to combine being a priest with his scholarship and with being a dean very gracefully, more than I've ever seen."

"He could identify with the most distinguished scholars and could come to the rescue of people in need," said Professor Emeritus John L. Mahoney, who calls Barth one of his closest friends. The pair first met in graduate school at Harvard over 35 years ago.

University Vice President Rev. William Neenan, S.J., can't forget the first time he met Barth. The two rendezvoused in 1984 during the International Wordsworth Summer Conference in England, the year before Barth came to BC. In their first meeting together, Barth roused Neenan out of bed at 6 a.m. to celebrate mass on the lake shore during sunrise.

"He did that not just with visitors, but every morning," said Neenan. "He was a person who integrated his love of being a Jesuit, love of the Eucharist, and love of academic life."

This spirit was evident in any meeting he ran, when Barth would begin with a prayer or poem to settle everyone and create a serious space for the meeting, said Michalczyk.

"He was also a very gentle person. He was a very noble soul who would be very anxious to help with whatever he could," said Michalczyk. He recalled the generosity and dedication Barth demonstrated by agreeing to proofread his 200-page manuscript before publication several years before either scholar came to BC.

Several years later as dean, Barth fought for the rights of the arts. At the time, the fine arts department was the only department operating on Newton Campus. "We felt in isolation and abandoned," said Michalczyk. "He struggled to make sure we got back on Main Campus because he saw the importance of the arts on campus."

During his deanship, film studies was switched from a minor to a major. He acted as mentor to many in the fine arts department, helping to establish the McMullen Museum in the newly renovated Devlin Hall.

Barth not only promoted the arts, but participated in them frequently. He acted in several plays in Robsham Theater, recorded two CDs of poetry by William Wordsworth, Francis Thompson, and Rev. Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., and published several works analyzing the relationship between religion and literature. He was also known to offer impersonations of actors Barry Fitzgerald and Bela Lugosi.

"He was somewhat of a ham himself," said Neenan.

His final performance came in the spring of 1999 when he narrated the BC Symphony Orchestra's rendition of Aaron Copland's "Portrait of Lincoln."

Barth extended his passion outside of the arts by promoting interdisciplinary minors, strengthening the physics program, and helping to revise the University's core curriculum.

"He knew a lot about other areas," said Michalczyk, who called Barth a "broad-based humanist." "He felt they shouldn't be pigeon holed because they all have interconnections," he continued. "He felt each discipline is noble in itself, but not in a vacuum."

Barth saw each discipline as an art that each individual was capable of accessing. "The arts are not for the artist, but for the one who sees with wide imagination," he said in his April 2002 homily.

As an English professor, Barth touched students with a combination of professional strength and personal caring, said Mahoney. He demanded much of his students, inspiring them to set a high standard of their own. He began the popular course Religious Themes in the Modern Novel, a class which some students waited years to get into.

Barth taught until the end of last year. During his sickness this summer, he held onto the hope of teaching Religious Themes this semester. "He said, 'I can't say I'm going to cancel that course until I'm absolutely sure,'" Mahoney recalled. Around the beginning of August, Barth finally had to say no.

Mahoney remained with Barth throughout his last days, visiting him at Campion Health Center in Weston. "He had a terrific sense of humor even in his very sick days," said Mahoney. "He was brave all the way. His favorite line during his darkest days was, 'I'm hanging in there, John.' I don't think I'd be that brave."

He is survived by his father, three brothers, and two sisters. He is also survived by 31 nieces and nephews and 48 grandnieces and nephews. He will be remembered in a funeral Mass today at 10 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church.