Members You Should Meet | Dr. Lance Barry – Etowah Rotary Club
Sunday, October 8, 2023
By Amanda R Groover
Meet an individual who is making an Impact on Mental Health in the Court Rooms in District 6910.
Rotarian Dr. Lance Barry - member of the Etowah Rotary Club in Cartersville- immediately resonated with Rotary International President Gordan McInally's call to shine a light on the importance of mental health in our communities. He had recently begun working to find ways to create hope for those struggling with mental health issues in his community and it opened a door for the Rotary District 6910 team to have a deeper conversation with Dr. Barry. We quickly recognized that he was a member that embodied the essence of community and economic development month for Rotary. Learn more about why Dr. Barry is a member you should meet.
Our featured member for the month of October came across the desk of District Governor Brandy Swanson and the District 6910 Public Relations team after his recent contributions in the area of mental health awareness. After hearing Rotary International President’s Gordon R. McInally’s call to create hope and remove the stigma centered around mental health, Dr. Lance Barry was eager to share the work being done through mental health courts in his community and around the country.
Lance reached out to District Governor Brandy and was inspired by her to write and submit an article to Rotary Magazine to talk about his role and journey as the Inaugural Chairman of the Cherokee Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court’s non-profit council. The goal of this group is to raise community consciousness and provide support for the unfunded needs of participants. Barry was eager to share these efforts as they aligned with the yearly theme of RI’s efforts to work toward finding solutions for mental health problems in our communities.
I didn’t realize when connecting with Dr. Barry how he would also become such a well-timed feature for Rotary’s month focused on community and economic development. In addition to being a member of the Etowah Rotary Club in Cartersville, he also serves as a Foundation Trustee for Georgia Highlands College, serves as an advocate member of the museums in Bartow County, and is a member of the Etowah Valley Historical Society. In just a little under an hour, we had the opportunity to discuss how community growth, education, civic engagement, and investment in the arts had strategically positioned Bartow County for the next generation. He embodied, in that one conversation, what this month means to Rotary.
On Rotary
During the conversation, I asked Dr. Barry how he first became associated with Rotary. He began by explaining that after his service in the United States Air Force as a ground equipment mechanic, he attended the Dr. William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. Upon completion of his surgical residency, he moved to private practice and eventually ran his three podiatric offices in Cartersville, Adairsville, and Dallas, Georgia. As the primary physician and surgeon for these offices, his practices were driven by networking and referrals. He was invited by members of the Paulding County Rotary club to visit the club and accepted because he knew it would provide him with the opportunity to meet the most impactful members of the local community. His involvement in his first club gave him a great appreciation for the value of relationships and community impact that could be formed through local Rotary clubs.
Due to Rotary’s mandatory weekly meeting attendance rules during the 90’s, his commitment to the club drifted for a while because of his responsibilities to patients. However, he re-engaged with the Etowah Rotary Club in Cartersville. He attributes his increased community engagement impact to the relationships he has cultivated during his time in Rotary. He also credits his value-based relationships to the success that allowed him to be able to retire early from his practice and have the time to be of more service to his community.
On a Deeper Level
Outside of Rotary, Barry is also actively engaged as a family man and community supporter. When I asked him to share his story and tell me a bit more about himself, he shared a basic story about the four items he always carries with him. The first item is a laminated ticket from Chucky Cheese that came from an outing with his son and his friends that he described as one of the two best days of his life. Dr. Barry recalls his son telling him in a moment of excitement that day “Dad, I love you a million billion”. Years later, an abbreviated version is the closing tagline for texts and emails between him and his son. He lovingly still adds the shortened item of that sentiment to each message as “mil-bil” and it is a reminder of their bond.
The second token that he connects with is the original ring he used to propose to his wife. It reminds him of the other “Best day of his life”. It could have been upgraded over the years but there is a special place for the one that was used at that significant moment in his life. He believes their shared sacrifices, of which the original ring is the symbol, are the key to their 38-year marriage. It is very similar to his dog tags that he still carries as a reminder of the power of hope and the bond of friends.
Finally, he also proudly wears his Georgia Highland College Trustee name tag each day. It is a symbol to him that your word is your bond. When discussing how he would serve Georgia Highlands College, he promised newly appointed GHC President Mike Hobbs, he would always wear the name tag and promote GHC as a trustee, and he does. He uses it as a community liaison to represent the school as his way of giving back. He represents the school on his payback tour through official duties for the school or simply representing GHC throughout the community.
On His Commitment to Community
Some of the most impactful statements in our conversation resonated in his comments surrounding servant leadership and community. Dr. Barry continued to reiterate that the true value of Rotary lay in the extension of his network through connecting with servant leaders or other Rotarians for the good of his community.
“Your value-based network of people is the truest measure of success” stated Barry.
He stated that his “definition of a leader is the person who is willing to sacrifice self for the betterment of others and the greater the sacrifice, the greater the potential for good”. It is very much in line with the Motto of Rotary “Service Above Self”. It was through discussion that he summarized that sacrificing for others is when the days go the fastest and when we are all at our best.
His community connections have also come through his involvement in organizations like the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce. His willingness to remain connected and committed gives him the ability to connect the power of community to economic prosperity. Dr. Barry is quick to understand the power of his role as a GHC trustee and his ability to remain on the pulse of the private sector to solicit help for support in their investments to expand education opportunities for the next generation in areas of need. He can directly see the line that bridges the local role of community and economic development.
Final Thoughts
Even after retirement, Dr. Lance Barry continues to devote his time to serving to improve the lives of those in the Bartow community and Georgia. His work with both the Cherokee County Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court and Georgia Highlands College is paving the way for better opportunities for those who need better community and economic resources in mental health and education. He understands that the value of a Rotary network is all about the effort you make in getting to know fellow members of your community and that being of service doesn’t stop with retirement. We appreciate the impact of Rotarians like Dr. Lance Barry. The value of their service in the community creates long-lasting legacies that tell the story of Rotary.