In Memoriam | 2016 Inductee John Barlow
Dr. John Barlow, a 2016 Inductee of the South Dakota Hall of Fame passed away on Friday, September 20, 2024, in Rapid City.
Our condolences go out to Dr. Barlow’s family at this time. We are saddened to hear of his passing and honored to continue to share his legacy with future generations of South Dakotans. His influence has had a ripple effect through South Dakota and advanced healthcare statewide. The South Dakota Hall of Fame is currently accepting memorial gifts in his honor.
Dr. Barlow was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, near New York City, in 1933 and attended Montclair Academy where he was fortunate to meet teachers who instilled the love of learning in him.
At Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, he had a challenging pre-med experience and found that he preferred a rural environment to an urban one. Dr. Barlow completed his first two years in medicine at Dartmouth's Medical School which was a two year institution at the time. He had a Professor of Pathology and Microbiology named Philip Nice who instilled an interest in the two fascinating fields in him.
At Dartmouth Dr. Barlow met a Medical Technology student named Anne Woodbury (a native of New Hampshire) who became his wife. Even with all the many wonderful things that Dr. Barlow experienced in life, marrying Anne was the best thing that ever happened to him. He believed she was as responsible for any successes he achieved as he was.
Dr. Barlow completed two years of Medical School at Dartmouth and transferred to Harvard Medical School for the remaining two years after which he entered a Pathology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, MA. Dr. Robert Scully, a staff Pathologist gave him a love for the field of Laboratory Medicine, by his outstanding example.
During his years at MGH in Boston, Dr. Barlow met Dr. Karl Wegner (also a member of the South Dakota Hall of Fame) and a grandson of Peter Norbeck. Dr. Wegner recruited Dr. Barlow to join him in practice in Sioux Falls and to teach Laboratory Medicine at the Medical School as well as Pathology residents and Medical Technologists at Sioux Valley Hospital. Dr. Wegner became Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and then Dean at South Dakota Medical School. Dr. Barlow always remained grateful to Dr. Wegner for bringing him to South Dakota. Under Dr. Wegner's leadership the two year Medical School was converted to a four year degree granting institution.
Dr. Barlow was also able to practice Laboratory Medicine as Director of the Laboratory at Sioux Valley Hospital and the Laboratory of Clinical Medicine. Laboratory Medicine is an ancillary field in Medicine which is often not noticed by most patients but is very important in quality patient care. Dr. Barlow tried very hard to instill this in the students he taught, and he became interested in the fascinating and ever-changing field.
In 1985 Dr. Barlow decided to move to the beautiful Black Hills where he continued to teach and practice. He and his wife were extremely happy to have moved to this beautiful part of the state where Anne had her mountains and trees (like New Hampshire). They were both from the East Coast but fell in love with South Dakota and consider it home where they lived for more than 50 years. They lived on both sides of the state and Dr. Barlow worked at Sioux Valley and Rapid City Regional Hospitals. He served on many boards and committees east and west including being Chief of Staff in both places. It was always a challenge to keep the Medical Staff and the Administration on the same page, but Dr. Barlow appreciated the challenge.
Dr. Barlow realized that you have to take part in both Professional boards and organizations in your community. His parents taught him the value of trying to give back to the community in which you live. In life and giving back, Dr. Barlow had the support of his wife and two daughters, Deborah and Karen. He and his wife were always interested in theater and have supported theatrical arts not as an active participant but in helping with offstage activities. They enjoyed working with the Black Hills Community Theater and the Black Hills Playhouse. Dr. Barlow and his wife were given the Governor's Award for the Arts by individuals. They also believed in the importance of the environment and were active supporters of the Black Hills Nature Conservancy.
As he was sure all inductees to the Hall of Fame know, they did not get there alone, but with tremendous support from others. Dr. Barlow thanked the following for submitting his name for consideration for this honor; Dr. Milton Mutch, Jon Soderholm (a former administrator at Sioux Valley Hospital), Dr. Charles Hart (CEO at Black Hills Regional Hospital), and Dr. Ron Reed, who Dr. Barlow worked with in many areas of the Art Community of the Black Hills.