By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 10, 2020 | What a full life Bill Barks Sr. of Norcross lived! He died recently at age 83.
Bill retired from his many business ventures in 2010. He still remained active. As one of the founding members of the PDC Club (Progressive Development Club), which still meets each Wednesday morning in Norcross at 45 South Café (now “people driving coffee), he became publisher of the Norcross Times, which he edited for 15 years, up until recently.
His life was a varied one, in several areas of our nation. He was born in Pomona, Calif., and began high school in Monrovia, Calif. But in 1952, his father accepted a senior appointment with the Air Force in Wiesbaden, Germany. There Bill attended the American High School, played varsity football and was a four year letterman. He spent one year at the University of Heidelberg, before completing his degree at Arizona State University, majoring in industrial engineering and management.
His business life began, first with Motorola and later with Dickinson Electronics, working on building and testing components for the space program, including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Saturn projects.
Bill and Julie Barks during recent holidays
Switching fields, Mr. Barks joined the Phoenix Coca Cola as their production manager in 1971, and later was promoted to plant superintendent and later assistant general manager for production services.
Then venturing out on his own, he started Omega Industries in 1973, where he was president and the chief operating officer. When Omega was taken over in 1980, Bill began a retirement (which lasted only four years) in Telluride, Colorado.
He first came to Gwinnett in Lilburn in 1985, as co-founder of ICS, an electronics manufacturing rep firm. Eventually he became president of the successor company, the largest board level rep firm in the Southeast with annual sales of $45 million, from which he retired in 2010.
During Bill’s many business operations, he was always active and headed high offices within his community. Among his distinctions:
- President of the Tempe, Ariz., Municipal Building Corporation.
- President of the Phoenix Jaycees; vice president of the Arizona Jaycees.
- Jaycee of the year in Tempe in 1967.
- President of the Phoenix East Valley Boys and Girls Club.
- President of the Tempe Diablos, which helped start the Fiesta Bowl.
- President of the Telluride Chamber of Commerce.
- President of the Arizona State Georgia Alumni Association.
- Chairman of the Norcross Open Car Show.
- President of the Farmington Hills Homeowners Association.
- Master Mason of Gwinnett Daylight Lodge No. 744.
- Commander of Scottish Rite of Atlanta.
- Noble of Yaarah Shrine Temple of Atlanta.
Bill early on was accomplished. He was a Boy Scout in 1951, and his Eagle Scout card was signed by President Harry Truman.
Bill’s wife, Julie, was a Norcross city council member for six years. He and his wife were members of St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Dunwoody, where he served on the vestry. The Barks’ had four boys, Bill Jr., Doug, Phil and Nathan, 11 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
A memorial mass in Bill’s honor will be held on Saturday, November 21, at St. Barnabas at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon.
It’s not every day that you get to know a person like Bill Barks. About six months ago, I was honored to spend about an hour with Julie and Bill, just talking about life in general. It was a good feeling, and I will miss him.
William George “Bill” Barks, 1937-2010: May you rest in peace.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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