This announcement of our final 2023 Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Awardee is bittersweet!
Our very own "Charlie" will posthumously be honored at our Compassion Banquet. We were able to share with him and his family that he would be the recipient of a 2023 award before he passed away. In true Charlie style, when he expected not to be able to attend in person, he sponsored a table at our event and invited his guests. He'll be there with us in spirit!
With warm regards,
Lynn de Vree
Charles Barker MD, MPH, Th.M., was the founder of Compassionate Dallas/Fort Worth, a non-profit organization that promotes the Charter for Compassion, the value of compassion and compassionate action in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex with the Golden Rule as its core operating principle.
He served as chair of Compassionate DFW Board of Trustees, a board that reflects all twelve sectors of the international Charter and encourages and coordinates the compassionate cities campaign as well as partnerships in the DFW area. In addition to that, he served on the Board of Trustees of the International Charter for Compassion as Chair and later on the Governance Committee.
Locally, he sat on the leadership steering committee of the Richardson Interfaith Alliance, with a membership of over 130. His background and experiences were in the field of medicine, with an emphasis on preventive medicine and biomedical ethics. He facilitated medical school ethics sessions at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, emphasizing the importance of compassion education and training for all healthcare providers.
He was in private medical practice for fifteen years in southern Georgia, USA, from 1975 to 1990. He served twenty years in Navy Medicine, served as Executive Officer of Naval Hospital Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, and Commanding Officer of Naval Health facilities in Hawaii.
All who knew Charlie will surely be mourning with us. An endowment was created in his name, for those of you who wish to contribute to it, please do so here.
Join us for an inspirational, joyful evening at our Compassion Banquet!
