Jeffrey M Liebman

When I moved to Evanston at the beginning of freshman year, it just so happened that Mike and his younger siblings resided in the same apartment building on Judson avenue, one floor above me.  Mike was the first classmate to reach out to me, helping me to integrate into a huge new social environment and feel less intimidated.  Typically we would be at the same lunch table with Fred Brostoff, Rick Reitze, Marty Campbell, Barry Bedrick, and others.  Mike was always cheerful and a fountain of conversation about a wide variety of topics.  Later on, it was always a pleasure to meet up with him at reunions. Now he is gone, and our ranks continue to diminish

William Wanlund

Like everyone, very sorry to hear of his passing. A good, cheerful, and talented guy

Phil Noble

Gonna miss Mike - during the build up to our class of '64's first reunion and the fab website, we got in touch and had some good talks reminiscing on the many musicals we both sang in. Those were some of the best times ever and we had some good laughs. As has been mentioned, he was smart, cheerful and sang the sox off the rest of us! RIP, Mike.

Robert Lindner

Once Upon A Carousel

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark,
At the end of the storm there's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind.

Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone.

You'll never walk alone

You'll Never Walk Alone

From Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel

He’s gone, there’s no more song,

But our carousel keeps turning along

With golden memories

Of his voice that would please

Our young ears. But now he’s

Gone. And all the songs he once sang seem wrong

Without his voice to sing.

But his passing beyond the storm will bring

Back songs that he sang to

Us, in times, we went through

Together. Just a few

Years ago (maybe more), we were doing

Our thing, and sweet Michael

Could be Billy, singing in Carousel.

But earth turned and the storm

We all expect, did form,

As storms do on the warm

Winds that blow, as the musical will tell

Us in our memory

And when the storm comes as it must, we

Will hold our heads up high

To watch the lark fly by

When there’s the golden sky

At the end of the storm, where Mike will be,

Arm outstretched and showing

Us, he’s there in the rain, with wind blowing

Through the dreams that we find,

When we are so inclined,

In pictures in our mind,

In memories that like us are slowing

Down. But people we’ve known

And liked will come back and I hear the tone

Of the Carousel theme

As I ride on a moonbeam

And a world I still dream

Of, sings like Mike, “You'll never walk alone.”

Paula Massey

Didn't Mike also sing in Kiss Me Kate alternating with Greg Jorjorian?

Robert Lindner

Hi Paula,

Yep. Mike was in a lot of musicals. I picked Carousel

because of the song, "You'll Never Walk Alone".

And because on page 126 of the Key, Mike is pictured.

He is singing, "If I Loved You"  to Sue Long.

W. Allan Edmiston, MD

I was saddened to hear that Mike Barnes passed away suddenly.  That is always so hard for a family.  Mike was a talented singer/actor and stared in Carousel and Kiss me Kate.  I was glad to see him at the 50th.

Fred Brostoff

I think this is the yearbook photo that Vernon was mentioning...Mike Barnes in Carousel, singing "If I Loved You" to Sue Long (p. 126):

Robert Lindner

Thanks Fred,

That was the picture I was referring to.

And the muse for my poem.

Lincoln Krochmal

I did not know Mike but he sure sounds like a great classmate who will be dearly missed by all. His memory will live on!