"I made lifelong friends at ETBC and remain in contact with many of them. I was a student at ETBC during a turbulent decade of social upheaval, but the Hill was always a calm sanctuary of education and direction. "
There aren't many people, who know as much about bugs as Dr. Carl Barfield. For 35 years, Dr. Barfield served as a Professor of Entomology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Over the course of his career, he taught 30 different courses, consulted for several government agencies, and traveled to over 30 countries to help the poor in underdeveloped nations. Dr. Barfield's work has taken him all over the world, but none of his other experiences have duplicated the friendships or education he received between 1966 and 1970 in Marshall, Texas.
"I made lifelong friends at ETBC and remain in contact with many of them," Dr. Barfield said. "I was a student at ETBC during a turbulent decade of social upheaval, but the Hill was always a calm sanctuary of education and direction. This speaks volumes of the type of institution ETBU was and is still today."
Not only did Dr. Barfield leave East Texas Baptist with deep friendships, but a well-rounded liberal arts education that carried him through his Ph.D. program at Texas A&M University.
"I was a math and biology major at ETBC, and when I entered my Ph.D. program in entomology, I realized all of my colleagues knew much more about insects than I did," Barfield said. "However, as I progressed through the program, I realized they did not know much else. Many had tunnel vision on insects but lacked the social, historical, and cultural training to interpret their insect studies in the broader context of human culture and society. That is when I realized the wonderful gift of a liberal arts education provided to me by East Texas Baptist."
Now retired, Dr. Barfield and his wife, Beverly, reside in Gainesville and spend their days giving back to their community.