A fascinating portrait of the man who helped build Bucks County and usher in the era of modern real estate--as seen through the eyes of the press that covered him for over fifty years.
When Joseph Barness, an immigrant from Eastern Europe, built and sold his first house in the 1920s, his goal was to provide newcomers and his surrounding neighbors in the farm community of Bucks County, PA, with the American Dream: home ownership. In 1948, his younger son Herbert--a recent graduate of Bucknell University and a decorated Army Air Force captain in World War II--joined him in a growing real estate business. In the decades that followed, Herb went on to transform the family company that began with a single house into a hugely successful, far-reaching, and visionary real estate development organization.
That story, along with Herb Barness's many landmark contributions to Pennsylvania politics, sports, and community life, is chronicled here for the first time in this remarkable collection of articles and personal documents. A self-proclaimed "farm boy" who was as comfortable behind the wheel of a tractor as he was shaking hands with the President of the United States, Herb was not only a master of business who built award-winning housing from Bucks County to the Caribbean, but also a devoted father and model citizen who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of everyday Pennsylvanians like himself. An avid sports fan, he used his entrepreneurial instincts to bring harness racing and professional soccer to Philadelphia, and to become, for a time, a part owner of the Philadelphia Eagles football team. In politics, he spearheaded fundraising campaigns for Pennsylvania senators and governors, and even presidential candidates, and served on the U.S. Presidential Housing Commission. He also found time to work on behalf of numerous charitable organizations, and, most importantly, to be home each night to have dinner with his wife and daughters. Those who knew him agree that throughout his life, he approached every endeavor, large or small, with a trademark intelligence, good humor, humility, and grace.
Featuring more than 100 photos from original press clippings and the Barness archives, and annotated with insights by his daughter Lynda Barness, The Man I Knew reveals a businessman and humanitarian who left an indelible mark on his beloved Bucks County--both its landscape and its people--and beyond that will endure for generations to come.
