H. Douglas Barber and June Barber

Doug is an engineer who co-founded the microcircuit company Linear Technology Inc. which later became Gennum Corporation. As he was building the business, however, he was also a part-time professor in McMaster’s Department of Engineering Physics, serving in that capacity from 1968 to 1994. In 2001, Doug was appointed Distinguished Professor-in-Residence in McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering. He was a member of McMaster’s Board of Governors for 14 years and chair for two and a former member of the University Senate. He recently retired as chair of the Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board and is also a past chair of the McMaster University Commercialization of Research Results Task Force. He served as a member of the board of the McMaster Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization and as a member of the McMaster International Revenue Generating Task Force. An officer of the Order of Canada, Doug also received a Doctor of Science honoris causa from McMaster in 1998 and was named an Honorary Governor.

June, a nurse and talented potter, was active in the Hamilton Potter’s Guild and founded Textures Craftworks, an artisan collective. During her time there, she was nominated for a Tourism Hamilton Award. She has been a longstanding member of McMaster’s Women’s Club, including serving as its president.

The Barbers’ philanthropic mission has included many local organizations and Doug and June have been exceptionally generous with McMaster, supporting renovations of Alumni Memorial Hall, the creation of student bursaries, the SELECT program in Engineering and the Hatch Centre where they provided one of the small number of gifts that allowed that project to gain full approval.