Emeritus music professor David Barton and wife, Evelyne, honor librarian mother with a $300,000 gift to IU South Bend Libraries
Gift to Fund Music Digitization and Support Acquisitions
The Indiana University South Bend Libraries are pleased to announce the establishment of the
Dorothy B. Barton Memorial Fund by Emeritus Professor of Music David Barton and his wife, Evelyne, in honor of David's mother.
Dr. David Barton taught music theory, composition and music history as well as directed the Electronic Music Studio at IU South Bend for 34 years. Among his many accomplishments, he formed PLATO & the Western Tradition, A Postmodern Improvisational Ensemble with Boyd Nutting. They presented improvised multi-media events both on campus and throughout the region. He also started the Michiana Improvisational Music Festival, which brought other improvising musicians to IU South Bend each summer from 1991 to 2010. In 1992, Dr. Barton extended his work to include weekly improvisational sessions with students.
In addition to his teaching and performance, Dr. Barton was heavily involved in faculty governance, serving twice as the President of the Academic Senate, multiple times on the Executive Committee, and on several Senate Committees. For many years, he chaired and served on the Library Affairs Committee and helped to build the Schurz Library's strong music collection. These roles made him particularly sensitive to library budget issues.
David's mother instilled a love of books and reading. Known for disappearing into the stacks of the library looking for new treasures, Dr. Barton was and remains an avid library advocate.
David's wife, Evie, has a powerful connection to libraries as well. For 17 years, she worked as a computer technician at the St. Joseph County Public Library. A talented singer-songwriter and dancer in her own right, Evie left her library position to open up a private music studio in downtown South Bend.
The income used from their gift will fund the archive of PLATO & the Western Tradition, the focus of Dr. Barton's musical life since 1988, along with the digitization and discovery of other recordings and scores from the IU South Bend Music Department.
The Barton Fund will also support the acquisitions of library materials to support teaching, learning and research, something that would have made Dorothy Barton very pleased, indeed.
