Gary Barefoot Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at UMO

Rhonda Jessup, Director of Public Relations

During the University of Mount Olive’s Homecoming Weekend, longtime librarian, historian, and community leader Gary Barefoot was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his remarkable contributions to the University and the greater Mount Olive community.

A native of Spivey’s Corner, Barefoot’s enduring relationship with Mount Olive began in the mid-1950s when he enrolled as a student at what was then Mount Olive Junior College. He earned his associate’s degree in 1959, later continuing his education at the UNC - Chapel Hill, where he obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Barefoot began his career as a public school librarian before returning to Mount Olive College in 1965 to serve as Director of Library Services, a position he held for 34 years. During his tenure, he oversaw the transformation of Moye Library from two small rooms on the original campus to its current facility on Henderson Street. Under his leadership, the library’s collection grew from 8,000 to over 60,000 volumes and transitioned from manual operations to a technology-based system. Upon his retirement in 1999, Barefoot was named Director Emeritus of Library Services.

Retirement, however, didn’t slow him down. Barefoot’s passion for UMO and for the Original Free Will Baptist denomination led him to continue serving as Curator of the FWB Historical Collection and University Archives. His dedication to preserving the denomination’s history has made the UMO collection the most comprehensive repository of OFWB materials in existence today.

Beyond his work at the University, Barefoot is an active member and organist at Robert’s Grove OFWB Church and has long been involved in numerous civic organizations, including the American Library Association, the NC Library Association, Wayne County Public Library Board, the Mount Olive Jaycees, and the Mount Olive Exchange Club, where he is the only remaining charter member. He also volunteers his time with the Mount Olive Christmas Parade, the NC Pickle Festival, and Read to Succeed, a literacy program for children. Each year, he rings the Salvation Army bell at Christmas and helps organize the community’s Fourth of July celebration.

Barefoot has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including Outstanding Young Men of America, 1980 Mount Olive College Alumnus of the Year, the 2007 Mount Olive College Founders Leadership Award, and the naming of the Gary R. Barefoot Atrium in Moye Library, an enduring tribute to his service and legacy at the University.

Reflecting on his lifelong connection to Mount Olive, Barefoot recalled a pivotal moment in 1957 when the late Dr. W. Burkette Raper, then-president of Mount Olive College, visited his home and offered him a $250 annual scholarship.  “That visit, that day altered the course of my life forever,” Barefoot said. “As Robert Frost, one of my favorite poets, once wrote, ‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’”