Richard Alan BARWICK
ichard Alan was born to Richard Ronald and Bernadette (Wendell) Barwick on August 25th of 1950, the first grandchild for Bertha and Benedict Barwick. Somehow, his parents knew they would have their hands full right from the start. His unwillingness to greet the world put his poor mother through 36 solid hours of labor until he was ready to face life.R
By now, nearly all descendents of Carl Barwick were living in or around the city of Milwaukee. Ricky, (as he was known back then), would begin his life in Cudahy, a suburb to the southeast. His early years have been preserved through the many photographs that were taken over time. He had a bicycle, a wagon, a puppy, and probably most of the things that any young boy of the 1950s might have had.
When it came time for him to begin school, his parents enrolled him in early (4 year old) kindergarten at Kosciusko (pronounced Kah SHUZ ko) the elementary school a block away from their house. Ricky was NOT impressed with school and wanted no part of it. Even today, he claims to recall the whole episode clearly in his mind. There was a grassy knoll. The kindergarten class took their recess immediately outside their classroom, on the grass at the front of the building. Rick remembers going to the edge of the school grounds, hiding behind the grassy knoll, waiting until the teacher gave up looking for him and took the rest of the class inside. Then he simply walked that one block home, grinning as he strolled into the house; surprising his mother. We can’t be sure exactly what transpired, but Ricky never went back to finish “4 year old kindergarten”. In one respect, you could say he was only doing what came naturally. Seems as though his father tried to escape the inevitable classroom on several occasions himself. (Read about it in the Richard Ronald Barwick bio sketch).
When he finally resigned himself to do so, Ricky attended elementary school at the Dover Street School on the south side of Milwaukee. He completed all the requirements for advancement, and went on to attend Junior High School at the Gustav A. Fritsche Jr. High. His approach to education was very different from that of his parents and school officials. Too many other things were getting in his way as he attempted to complete high school, first at Bay View High, then Pulaski High. He finally gave up, leaving school altogether in his senior year. He claimed to be bored; unchallenged. Rick was absolutely sure that he knew everything there was to know to graduate from high school. The amazing thing about it is that he was right. He took the high school GED examination, and passed with scores far exceeding the Wisconsin standards. He was finally done with school. He entered the ‘working world’, changing jobs often, while making enough money to get by, (gas for the car; cigarette money). Between May, 1967 and August of 1968, Rick worked mostly as a gasoline station attendant and auto mechanic. Also during this time, the US involvement in Vietnam was escalating and, as with many of his friends, Rick enlisted in the military. On September 13th of 1968, he boarded a plane, (his first airplane ride), and traveled to the US Air Force Basic Military Training Center at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. After completing ‘boot camp’, he attended a technical training program in Basic Health Care, and later specialized in Medical Logistics Management. Of his 21 total years of honorable service, he was a military policeman for 6 1/2 years, mostly as a security forces supervisor for a part of the US Nuclear Missile program at various locations in Montana. He spent the bulk of his service time, 14 1/2 years, in health care. Rick had assignments to Rapid City, South Dakota, (three separate times); Aguadilla, (ah gwa DEE ya) Puerto Rico; Washington D.C.; Great Falls, Montana; and Balikesir, Turkey (pronounced balee kah SEER). In September of 1985, Rick was promoted to his highest-held rank of Master Sergeant, and with the promotion came the job as Superintendent of Medical Logistics Services, (Medical Logistics Management is the procurement and management of all supplies, equipment and facilities for a hospital or health care facility). He moved his family to Alaska in anticipation of retirement, and, on 6 May 1991, he retired from active duty with the Air Force.
Although he couldn’t anticipate it at the time, Pulaski High School, back in May of 1968, was not the last time he’d find himself in a classroom. Rick attended college while serving on active duty and obtained an Associates degree in Business Management from Milwaukee Technical College. He then obtained an Associates degree in Logistics Management from the Community College of the Air Force in Maxwell, Alabama, an Associates Degree in Logistics Management from Georgia Military College of Libertyville, Georgia, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Resources Management from Wayland Baptist University of Plainview, Texas. He also completed the first of 2 years of work for a Teaching Certificate for Elementary Education in the State of Alaska, and completed 1 year of post graduate work toward a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It seems clear that all he needed was the desire, and the challenge.
Rick enjoyed bowling, tennis, softball, basketball, golf, hunting and fishing. He was coach for men’s basketball for over 17 years without a losing season. In 1985, he was the player/coach for a men’s softball team that was seeded fourth in the South Dakota State Softball Championships. When the opportunity presented itself, during a brief break in service in 1975, Rick took the job as Head Golf Professional at the Delafield-St. John’s Golf Club, owned by St. John’s Military Academy. He applied for membership in the PGA, (Professional Golfers Association of America) and was accepted. His love of the game was as strong as that of his father, before him. Even after re-entering the Air Force in 1976, Rick continued to compete as a professional golfer. His eligibility with the PGA expired in July of 1977, however he never reclaimed his amateur status.
The physical demands of military service had taken its toll on Rick. He suffered with severe lower back pain for many years. He began to show early signs of progressive osteoarthritis. Between July of 1970 and July of 2001, Rick had endured fourteen orthopedic surgeries plus three major operations on his lower back. His mobility was reduced to the point where he could no longer play golf or tennis, and he could no longer walk well enough to continue hunting. Fishing became a favorite pastime, along with a tremendous interest in stock car racing.
A number of applications and evaluations were conducted regarding Rick’s multiple health problems. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs declared him totally and permanently disabled as a result of the severe nerve damage in his legs causing restricted mobility. The Social Security Administration declared him totally disabled, beginning January 1st, 1994. During 8+ years of sedentary lifestyle, he contracted diabetes (Type II), and developed high blood pressure. Rick was taking 12 different medicines to battle the numerous health problems he was developing. Then, during the summer of 2001, Rick and his doctor discussed the possibility that he may be a candidate for a surgically-implanted device that would eliminate all or some of the acute pain he had been suffering with for over eight years. The device, implanted with special wire cable, positioned along the spinal cord, would stimulate the nerve impulses that carry pain signals to the brain. The brain, not knowing that there was pain, would allow Rick’s legs and lower back to act more like that of a 50 year old man.
In Anchorage, Alaska, on October 22, 2001, Rick woke up in a surgical recovery room, and had his new “machine” activated. For the first time in over 8 years, he felt no pain in his legs. The spinal cord stimulator worked perfectly. When turned on, it would ultimately reduce his back and leg pain by better than 80 percent. Since the surgery, Rick has all but forgotten his high blood pressure. His diabetes is under better control, and he was on his way to losing over 20 pounds that he gained while unable to exercise or be active doing things around the house.
On September 19, 1970 when Rick was 20, he married Mary LEMKE, daughter of Orville LEMKE and Marion WIESNER. Mary was born April 28, 1952. They were divorced on October 28th of 1982 in Great Falls, Montana. They had the following children: Geralyn Therese, born December 22, 1971, Karin Jeanne, born July 16, 1973, and Christian Scott, born June 13, 1974.
On September 8, 1984 Rick married his next door neighbor, Barbara G. LEWISON, daughter of Vance G. LEWISON & Nadine C. FISH, in Coeur D Alene, Idaho. Barbara was born on October 8, 1954 in Spokane, Washington. Barbara’s two children also became part of the family. Her children are: Vance Alan, born November 29, 1974, and Sarah Jeanne, born January 21, 1982. (Their father is Brett Alan Canoy, of Great Falls, Montana).
(Rick’s diabetes and period of prolonged inactivity led to permanent neurological disease particularly in his hands and feet. Being unable to feel hot or cold in his toes and fingers, it was in his best interest to leave Alaska’s extreme weather. In August, 2002, Rick and his family returned to Great Falls, Montana, where he had lived for nearly 9 years between 1976 and 1985).