Guy Barnes covered the city and police beats for The Springdale News from the 1970s and its successor, The Morning News, to about 1990 and also wrote a weekly column called “Barnestorming.” He brought one of the fictional characters from his column to life in the form of Johann Sebastian Crock, the sage of Shiloh, for the Northwest Arkansas Gridiron Show.
Guy was born on March 21, 1928, the son of John Guy and Letitia Wyatt Fielder Barnes. He died April 16, 2005, at Fayetteville.
He was a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He retired from the United States Air Force as a communications center supervisor with the rank of master sergeant. He served in both the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. In addition to Gridiron, he participated in stage productions at the Arts Center of the Ozarks and was an extra in several television shows.
Guy is buried at National Cemetery in Fayetteville. His gravestone lists him as “Adventurer, Writer, Actor.”
Survivors included his wife, Dorothea Barnes of the home; twin sons, Dennis Barnes of Tulsa and Daniel Barnes of Patterson, New York; a daughter, Thea Phipps of Fayetteville; a sister, Nerene Cudd of Fairhope, Alabama; and two grandchildren. Dennis, Daniel and Thea each helped with the Gridiron Show at least one year.