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A series of articles emphasizing practical
knowledge you can't find in practice guides
and interviews with experts who share
their techniques for effective and efficient
case management
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Articles emphasizing practical knowledge you
can't find in practice guides
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Profiles of people who changed workers’
compensation law.
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• Warren
Schneider
• Marjory Harris
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| Dee
Williams, Barry’s widow, talks of life with Barry in this
interview with Marjory Harris. |
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HARRIS: Dee, so many of us miss Barry, especially those of us for
whom he
was a mentor. What do you most miss?
WILLIAMS: We faced the
world together, and now I face it alone. That is what I miss.
He was my best friend. I miss all that!
HARRIS: I know you loved Barry very much, but what
did you most
like about him?
WILLIAMS: Barry had
many qualities I respected and admired -- his integrity, his
sense of honor, his loyalty, his courage, his intellect, his sense
of humor. He was
never afraid to stand up for what he thought was right.
HARRIS: It seemed to me that he spent most of his
waking hours working, yet
he seemed to be interested in so many things. Did you ever feel you
were
competing with workers’ compensation for his interest?
WILLIAMS: No. Neither
of us were clinging vines, I had my things to do while he
was working on his. I had a full life with interests of my own. We
celebrated each
others interests.
I never complained about his working so much – I did not want
him to feel guilty.
I accepted that he was hardworking, type A. I didn’t try to
change him. I had sense
enough to see who he was—this was a man who was born to represent
injured
workers. He loved what he did.
HARRIS: What was it like living with Barry?
WILLIAMS: Our life revolved
around our home and his work. When I met Barry, I had
four young children, the youngest was seven. He was a good stepfather.
He loved
being with his family. He also enjoyed bowling, racquetball, Scrabble.
He was so
easy to please and always appreciative. He would thank me for making
dinner, for
example. He was a great husband.
HARRIS: Barry would really get into the details of
the case, without regard to the
economics of it, in the sense of the time spent for the fee received.
Every detail
was important, and doing it right, which meant long and detailed letters.
Was this
something you noticed in the domestic side of his life?
WILLIAMS: No. He had
no interest in the domestic details and left that to me. In any situation
when there was a contract involved, like when we remodeled the house,
or buying a car, then Barry would read it and get involved with the
details. But he was oblivious to other things. I would buy a piece
of furniture or a wall hanging, and he wouldn’t notice it for
months!
HARRIS: I'm sure Barry was disappointed that he wasn't named
a commissioner
of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. He seemed to have
a positive
attitude. Was that just his public persona, or was he always like
that?
WILLIAMS: That was just
the way he was. He wasn’t one to complain. He devoted
himself to being a mentor.
HARRIS: When his health declined, especially when
he lost so much of his sight,
how did he cope with that?
WILLIAMS: Barry was
so courageous. He took what was thrown at him and he went
with that, and somehow found ways to make it work. We were optimistic
until the end.
HARRIS: Barry was so generous with his time and energy,
and was always
there for those he mentored, even though much of the time when he
had his
advisory service, he was not in good health. Was all this work good
for his
health or bad for it?
WILLIAMS: It was a savior
for that man. His work got him through the last difficult
years of his life. He loved mentoring. It gave him a reason to get
up.
HARRIS: After the memorial service, you expressed
surprise that so many
people had attended. I wasn't surprised -- I figured no matter how
big a hall you
used, there would be standing room only. Why were you surprised?
WILLIAMS: So many people
made such an effort to be there to honor him and
console me. I knew he was in contact with hundreds of people, but
they were
professional contacts. I did not know he had such a personal connection
with
so many people. I think Barry would have been surprised that so many
people
cared for him.
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