: - James S. "Jimi" Barton, Jr, 54, died on Wednesday, November 26,
losing to his battle with lung and liver cancer. He died
peacefully at his home in Rhinebeck, where he had lived since
1997.
Jimi was born December 22, 1948, son of the late James S. and
Catherine VanNorstrand Barton, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he
grew up and served as an acolyte for more than seven years at St
Paul's Episcopal Church. He attended Arlington schools,
graduating in 1967 and from that time until last year he served
as reunion chairman for his class.
His artistic talent was recognized early in his youth by his
teachers and at the age of 9 he won honorable mention in a
nationwide contest sponsored by the Poughkeepsie Sunday New
Yorker. In 1971 he graduated from Dutchess Community College
where he was awarded the David Lax Gold Metal in Fine and Applied
Arts.
For 17 years Jimi was an employee of IBM, serving on the
executive staff as a graphic artist at the East Fishkill
location. During this period he also served as a volunteer on the
National Ski Patrol at Gore Mountain, North Creek, N.Y.
Prior to retiring from IMB in 1989, Jimi met and started working
in the office of the late Bill Walter, founder, owner and
promoter of the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair that got its start at
Bard College before moving to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.
Jimi soon became an important part of the business, learning from
Bill the ins and outs of running an antiques show with emphasis
on the needs of both the exhibitors and the public. As Bill
Walter's health starting failing in the mid 1990s, Jimi took on
more responsibility and ended up buying the shows in 1996,
shortly before Bill's death.
Jimi surrounded himself with a dedicated staff and shared some of
the most important tasks with his friend from childhood, Bruce
Garrett. "He was my mentor and it has been an important part of
my life to have experienced growing up with Jimi as my friend. We
have had an honest relationship, like brothers, and have enjoyed
the fun times, travel and especially music together."
Music was a special part of Jimi's life and he played with a
number of bands, performing throughout both Dutchess and
Westchester counties. In the 1960s Bruce Garrett was both drummer
and singer in a band and, upon deciding to just handle the
singing duties, hired Jimi to take over the drums. Jimi also
maintained a place in his house "where a bunch of us would get
together every once in a while and jam" he said recently. His
expertise in music also benefited the Dutchess County Arts
Council, an organization for which he served as president for two
years.
Bruce Emond of Village Braider Antiques has been doing the
Rhinebeck show for many years and noted, "When Jimi took over the
business it was not just a matter of dollars and cents, but
friendships and an awareness of his dealers." He added, "I have
never seen a promoter do so much for the dealers, he cared about
us and would do anything for us."
Jimi was a dealer himself at one time, not full but part-time, a
fact that led Dennis Bakoledis to comment, "Jimi knew our needs,
respected us and welcomed us to the show to become part of his
large family. He was tireless in promoting the show, appeared on
TV to get the name out, and was always looking for ways to keep
Rhinebeck at the top of the scale." Dennis said, "We all knew
Jimi was very sick at the last show in October, but he stayed at
the fairgrounds to the very end. He just wanted to see every
dealer before they left, probably knowing that it would be his
last time."
John Gould, a 15-year veteran of the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair,
feels that Jimi brought a new tone to the show, something special
that he wove into the fiber of the show, and at the same time
"made me feel important. Jimi invented new ways, or enlarged upon
them, to make things better, and so often he passed the credit on
to someone else."
Training at IBM taught him a sense of orderliness, and it was
evident in the years that followed. "He was so well organized,
with the best interest of the dealers coming first, that it was
always a pleasure to do Rhinebeck," dealer Mary Carden Quinn
said. Cheryl Scott mentioned, "Paul and I wrote Jimi a letter
asking about the possibility of doing one of his shows and he
called us shortly after receiving our note and invited us. We
immediately felt a part of his family, he became a great friend,
and it just doesn't get any better than that."
"Jimi loved what he was doing, it was not about money, but it was
all about making Rhinebeck a great place for both dealers and
buyers," David Currier of Costa and Currier said. Dick Costa
noted, "Jimi was a great friend, and a very religious person. I
once gave him a small religious object and was very touched when
I saw him wearing it about his neck at the last show in October."
Bill Lohrman, a veteran of many years at Rhinebeck, noted,
"Knowing the circumstances, we were all expecting this day, but
it still comes with a shock. We had a great understanding and I
did the show because of Jimi. We were not dealer and promoter,
but treated each other as a friend."
Corinne Burke called Jimi "a great guy, wonderful promoter, and
we will all miss him." She also noted, "He was very smart,
especially in the way he has brought Bruce into the fold. He knew
that when the time came, his show would be in good hands." "I
never heard of anyone having a complaint at the show that was not
taken care of by Jimi," Steve Gero said, adding, "he ran a tight
ship with fairness."
Jane Wargo said, "It was a privilege to have been a friend of
Jimi Barton and he made it all so easy. For some reason, we had a
bond, we seemed to connect, as I know he did with so many people.
It was his nature because he cared and was concerned for all of
us. He was so much a part of Rhinebeck that none of us were
surprised when, sick as he was, he arrived in October and visited
everyone to see how we were. He knew it would be his final visit,
and I think we did too. I knew it as I squeezed his hand for the
last time. His courage was remarkable and inspiring, he was one
special guy. Jimi, Phil and I will miss you greatly, God speed."
"He kept Rhinebeck unique," dealer Sandy Levy said of Jimi, "and
he is so well respected for bringing a lovely event to the Hudson
Valley."
"I saw a pin one time and immediately thought of Jimi, so I
bought it and sent it to him," Kathy Schoemer said. The pin
showed a rainbow with the wording "Dear Lord, please send me
another rainbow." Later Kathy learned that both Bill Walter and
Jimi loved rainbows, talking about them often, and in a thank you
note Jimi wrote about the pictures of rainbows he had collected.
Kathy added, "I feel so good about my relationship with him, he
was one of my best friends, and if anyone is going to arrive at
the doorstep, he will."
"Jimi would come into our office, all smiles, and meet with Pam,
Anita and her staff, and everyone always had a good time," R.
Scudder Smith, publisher of Antiques and The Arts Weekly
noted. "Over the years Jimi and I saw each other at our office,
our home, at Rhinebeck and at dinner every Friday night before
the opening of the show. Helen and I watched him grow from the
right-hand of Bill Walter to the always friendly and confident
manager of one of the most popular antiques show. We talked of
many things -- Rhinebeck, the exhibitors, the booths, the
economy, his new PT Cruiser that had so few miles -- but never of
Jimi. His concerns were for others and only as we parted after
our dinner last October did he make any mention of himself. In
the middle of a hug goodbye, he said, 'I'm not afraid.'"
While Jimi's roots were firmly planted in the Hudson Valley, in
recent years he had developed a fondness for Florida and spent
some time there visiting his longtime friend dealer Tommy
Thompson. Tommy mentioned that on his last trip from New
Hampshire to Florida, "I made a detour Tuesday to stop in to see
Jimi and we had a nice time talking about all kinds of things. I
showed him pictures of what we had done to the house since his
last visit and he asked to be remembered to his Florida friends.
We didn't talk shop at all. As I was leaving late in the
afternoon, he said goodbye and 'just pull the door shut when you
leave.'" Always one to help out, Jimi had supported a number of
groups and organizations in Florida including the Gulf Coast
Men's Chorus.
While Jimi was in Florida just over a year ago, the time he was
diagnosed with cancer, he was in the process of negotiating for a
couple of antiques shows in that state. "Those plans are on the
back burner," Bruce Garrett said, "as we are planning to
concentrate all of our effort on the three Rhinebeck shows at
this time."
Jimi Barton's concern for others is a matter of statement in the
world of antiques. It was also felt by many more people through
his work as a third degree Mason. He was a member of Triune Lodge
#782, F. & A.M. in Poughkeepsie, a member of Tri-Po-Bed
Grotto, and the Order of DeMolay, sponsored by the Masons, where
he served three years as Chapter Advisor. He was also proud to
have been elected as an associate member of the Dutchess County
Agricultural Society in the fall of 2002.
Jimi is survived by his beloved sister, Barbara A. Barton of
Pleasant Valley, two godchildren, and an endless list of friends.
The family extends its sincere thanks to all those who cared for
Jimi and were at his side during his yearlong illness, especially
Maurie Slayton of Grand Rapids, Mich.
At Jimi's request there were no calling hours and burial will be
private. There was a gathering of family and friends for a
celebration of Jimi's life at 2 pm on Wednesday, December 3, at
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Wurtemburg Road, Rhinebeck.
Donations in Jimi's memory may be sent to Angel Food East of
Kingston, Box 3813, Kingston, NY, 12402, or The American Cancer
Society, Inc, local branch, or PO Box 102454, Atlanta, GA
30368-2454.
--R. Scudder Smith
