Jerry Speer (left), President of the Pasadena ISD's Board of Trustees, presents Bill Barmore with a plaque honoring him as the district's 2010 Distinguished Citizen. A replica plaque (below right) will be placed on permanent display in front of the Administration Building.
'Better Than Baseball Hall of Fame,'
1973 Pasadena High Grad Says of Honor
Praised for his generous contributions "of time, money and passion," Pasadena businessman William R. "Bill" Barmore was honored as the Pasadena ISD's 2010 Distinguished Citizen on Tuesday night during a reception and plaque dedication at the Administration Building.
"Bill is truly the embodiment of the kind of person for whom this award was intended," said Dr. Kirk Lewis, Pasadena ISD Superintendent. "What he has done for our district he did with servant's heart and a servant's spirit."
Barmore, the vice president of Barmore Insurance Agency in Pasadena, gave thanks to his family and friends and spoke most glowingly of his parents.
"They taught me to appreciate what's been given to me and where I've come from," he said.
Jerry Speer, president of the Pasadena ISD Board of Trustees, noted Barmore's deep love of baseball and compared Barmore's contributions to the community to those of a self-sacrificing ball player.
"If you were to compile a box score of all that our school district has accomplished the past three decades, Bill's name would definitely be in the lineup," Speer said.
"He's the guy who, looking back, laid down the bunt. The guy who moved the runner over with a well-placed ground ball. The guy who made the throw from right field. The guy who provided the big assist, who started the double play and enabled his team to get the job done. Tonight we invite him to take a home-run trot. He is our MVP."
"I can't think of a bigger honor," Barmore said. "This is better than being in the Baseball Hall of Fame."
Barmore also serves as a board member for the Pasadena ISD Education Foundation and is president-elect of that organization.
He was born and raised in Pasadena, graduating from Pasadena High School in 1973 after attending Williams Elementary School and Queens Intermediate School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Since returning to Pasadena more than three decades ago, Barmore has been a prolific and generous sponsor and supporter of district activities, including a career day event for students at his alma mater, Pasadena High.
His generous donations of time and money to the Education Foundation, and to the Texas Invitational Basketball Tournament, have earned Barmore frequent expressions of praise and appreciation from district officials.
"He has touched the lives of literally thousands of students," Dr. Lewis said. "And he has done in a way that he expects nothing in return. That's a pretty rare quality."
"I've always been a supporter of the Pasadena school district," Barmore said. "And I always will be."
