General George Barker Scholarship

Buddy and Charlotte Beck established this scholarship in honor of General George Barker to honor his service to the National Advisory Council of the Beck Center for Veterans. Major General George Evans Barker began his United States Army career through the Reserve Officers Training Corps at Arkansas State University, commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery branch on 15 August 1955. His active duty and reserve assignments from 1955 to 1978 included Battery Officer, 16 Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Headquarters 2nd Armored Division Artillery and Aide-de-camp, 77th Infantry Division as Executive Officer and Battery Commander of B Battery, 6th Battalion, 31st Field Artillery. He also served as the Headquarters Commandant, Secretary of the General Staff and Director of Personnel and Administration, 301st Support Brigade, then Commander of the 7th Battalion, 9th Field Artillery and Commander of the 5th Battalion, 5th Field Artillery.

Barker’s next assignment was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and Administration of the 77th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) in January 1979. In September 1982, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the 77th ARCOM and served in that position until June 1983 when he was selected to command the 353rd Civil Affairs Command and was promoted to Brigadier General in February 1984. He was selected as the Commander of the 77th ARCOM in December 1984 and was promoted to Major General in August 1986. Upon completion of his four-year command assignment, General Barker was appointed to the position of Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff Mobilization & Reserve Affairs Department of the Army, Individual Mobilization Augmentee in Washington, D.C. during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He served in this position until his mandatory retirement concluding 36 years of service. Among his awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 30-year device, The Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.

General Barker served as a trustee of the Army War College Foundation at Carlisle Barracks, Penn.. He is the immediate past chair and a founding member of the Beck Center for Veterans National Advisory Council. Barker was honored twice by his alma mater, first as a Distinguished Alumnus and then with induction into the A-State ROTC Hall of Heroes. He was inducted into the national ROTC Hall of Fame in 2020. In his hometown of Rector, AR, Barker is the co-founder of RHS Helping Hands Foundation and co-chair and principal funder of the Veterans Memorial Park. In his civilian career, Barker held two major positions with the American Cancer Society, CEO of the New York City Division and later the national executive vice president for International Development. He and his wife, Dr. Pamelia S. Phillips, live in South Carolina.