Voices of the
BIG BEND
Jim Glendinning continues the tradition of his popular radio interviews from “Voices of the Big Bend,” an original production of
KRTS, Marfa Public Radio. The program continues to be broadcast occasionally throughout the region at 93.5 FM.
by Jim Glendinning
MIKE BARCLAY
On any given day that court is in ses-
sion at the Brewster County courthouse,
a portly, white-haired figure leaning on a
cane can be seen in the thick of the
action. This is Mike Barclay, who has
been practicing law for 53 years and still
thrives on it. The irony is that he left
Dallas for Alpine 30 years ago for a qui-
eter life. Instead he got busier.
Mike Barclay was born on Nov. 8,
1929 near Alliance, Ohio to William
and Daisy Barclay. From his father, a
farmer and insurance agent by profes-
sion, he inherited a sense of humor and
a love of baseball. He was followed by a
younger brother, David, who today lives
in Florida.
His elementary and high schools
were local, and English was his preferred
subject. In 1947 he enrolled at Kent
State University, from which he graduat-
ed in 1952 with degrees in business
administration and education. He then
left for Dallas to find a job. In Dallas he
joined an insurance company, but it was
“not a good fit,” he says today. In the
same year he married Carol Walgen -
bach, whom he had met at Kent State.
Then in 1955, because a friend had
enrolled at Southern Methodist School
of Law, Barclay decided to do the same.
In 1958 he was licensed to practice law.
After working for a few years with
two partners, he was ready in 1963 to go
solo. Over the next 20 years as a defense
attorney he racked up an impressive
record, securing reduced sentences for
many of his clients facing the death
penalty, which earned him the commen-
dation of a judge for “masterful
defense” in one particular case. He
attributes this record to his aptitude at
jury selection. Having a sense of humor,
he adds with a chuckle, doesn’t hurt. He
18
Photo by Jim Glendinning
MIKE BARCLAY
Alpine
enjoys oratory, relishes intellectual com-
bat and uses courtroom theatrics to
advantage. And he thrives on hard work.
By 1983, big-city traffic had become
too much, and he was ready to leave
Dallas. He and Carol had often visited
Big Bend, and they moved to Alpine in
1984. The traffic situation was better,
but far from having a smaller workload,
the opposite happened. Carol died in
1984, and Barclay subsequently married
Kathleen Hutchisson, with whom he
had a son, Jake, who attended Sul Ross
and currently works in Midland. After
Kathleen’s death in 1992, Barclay mar-
ried Alpine artist Barbara Nelson, whose
research skills he credits with much of
his courtroom success.
Today, at age 82, Mike Barclay still
lives for the practice of law. He has plen-
ty of business. Over 80 percent of his
Cenizo
First Quarter 2012
Photo by Jim Glendinning
TOM BARNES
McDonald Observatory
court dockets are federal cases about ille-
gal immigrants or drug smuggling. He
fights for reduced sentences for all his
clients, state-appointed or private, using
his shrewd mind and long experience to
best advantage. He relishes the intellec-
tual competition of the courtroom and
thrives on the use of language to press
his client’s case. Asked about retirement
he says with a grin: “What else would I
do?”
TOM BARNES
Tom Barnes affably describes his
many years at the University of Texas
and McDonald Observatory, laughing
often. He doesn’t fit the image of a sci-
entist with single-minded focus who has
spent 40 years of research in the world
of the astronomer as he articulates his
Photo by Jim Glendinning
MARCOS PAREDES
Terlingua
world of astronomy clearly and simply,
often using his hands to demonstrate a
point.
Thomas G. Barnes III was born in
Columbus, Ohio on Aug. 17, 1944, the
eldest of three sons. His father traveled
frequently as an auditor before settling
in Marion, Ohio, where Tom graduated
from high school in 1962. Already he
revealed a keen interest in science, in
particular astronomy, and had an aca-
demic record that earned him a choice
of scholarships from two universities.
He chose the University of Rochester
for its science courses and, fortuitously
influenced by faculty astronomers, chose
observational astronomy, particularly
the study of variable stars (stars with
changing luminosity), which is impor-
tant for determining distances to other
galaxies. He graduated with a B.S. in