William D. Barney Papers

William D. Barney was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 19, 1916. His family moved to Fort Worth, Texas in 1928, where his father wanted to try out for the local semiprofessional baseball team. Barney graduated from Fort Worth Central High School and attended Texas Christian University for a few years. During his time in school, Barney developed a fascination with poetry and wrote numerous stories about Fort Worth. In addition to working for the U.S. Postal Service, Barney published his works. The poem The Killdeer Crying won a National Robert Frost Award circa 1961. He went on to publish nine books of poetry and a few plays. Barney also became a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, The Poetry Society of America, and The Poetry Society of Texas. The third organization elected him president in 1952 and 1953. After thirty years of service, he retired from the U.S. Postal Service and dedicated the rest of his life to writing. In 1982, the state of Texas appointed him Poet Laureate of Texas. Barney died in Fort Worth, Texas on November 20, 2001 at the age of 85. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery.