BARRETT, Paul F(rancis) 1943-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE— See index for CA sketch: Born October 28, 1943, in Kansas City, MO; died of prostate cancer October 15, 2004, in Chicago, IL. Educator, taxicab driver, and author. Barrett was an associate professor of history at the Illinois Institute of Technology. After completing a B.A. in 1964 and an M.A. in 1966 at Loyola University, he worked as a high school teacher in Chicago while studying for his Ph.D. Barrett also earned extra money as a cab driver while in graduate school, and he so enjoyed the interaction with people that he got as part of this job that he would continue to drive a taxi throughout his teaching career. He joined the Illinois Institute of Technology (ITT) in 1978 as an assistant professor of history, becoming an associate professor in 1983; and he was the chair of ITT from 1998 until 2003. While there, he gained a reputation as a champion of the liberal arts in an institution otherwise dedicated to engineering, architecture, and other technical fields. A scholar who taught classes ranging from American history to the history of science and technology, Barrett was greatly interested in the history of transportation. He published a book on the subject, The Automobile and Urban Transit: The Formation of Public Policy in Chicago, 1900-1930, in 1983.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

periodicals

Chicago Tribune, October 15, 2004, Section 2, p. 12.

online

H-Net Discussion Networks, http://h-net.msu.edu/ (October 31, 2004)