Ohio Valley Goodwill Loses Past Board Of Directors Chairman and Long-time Board Member

Dennis Barron, Past Board Chairman

Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries was saddened to learn of the loss of former Board of Directors Chairman and long-time Board member, Dennis J. Barron. Recognized by Goodwill in 2019 on the occasion of his formal retirement from the Board after more than fifty years of dedication and service, Mr. Barron was a retired partner with Frost BrownTodd, LLC and served as a trustee and secretary for Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries board of directors since 1965. He also served as President of the board from 1992-2001. As Chairman for the Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation of the Cincinnati Bar Association, Mr. Barron attained a reputation for his commitment and compassion for those individuals in need of a helping hand. In his personal life, Mr. Barron had volunteered his time acting as past Chairman of the Finance committee for Christ the King Church as well as a member of the Rotary Club and Cincinnati Citizens Police Association.

During the more than fifty years that Mr. Barron served as a member of Ohio Valley Goodwill’s board of directors, the organization grew from $1.6 million to $41 million in revenues. Earning recognition by the Cincinnati Bar Association in 2004 and in 2014 from Smart Business Magazine as “Non-Profit Board Executive of the Year”, Mr. Barron earned a reputation of distinction for his philanthropic dedication over the past fifty years. One of the remarkable achievements of Mr. Barron’s association with the board is that an excess of 50,000 men and women with disabilities and our nation’s veterans were served during his tenure. Beyond his leadership on the Board of Directors, Mr. Barron was a trusted advisor to the Goodwill Executive team and completely devoted to the the organization’s mission of service. He always enjoyed having the opportunity to share the Goodwill story with the larger community and felt that it was an inspiring cause worthy of admiration and support. We are grateful to Mr. Barron for his wonderful legacy and truly thankful for his long-time commitment and service. He will be much missed by Ohio Valley Goodwill and the Leadership team.

The excerpt below is courtesy of Frost Brown Todd where Dennis Barron worked for almost 50 years:

We are sad to share with you that Dennis J. Barron passed away last week peacefully and at home at the age of 89.  In the 100 years since Frost & Jacobs was formed, few lawyers have had more impact on colleagues, clients, and the community.  Mr. Barron joined the firm in 1956 after returning from Army service to attend law school.  By the 1970s, Denny’s attention to detail and hard work had become so respected in the firm that generations of F&J lawyers were told to ” Barronize” their work, not merely proof it.  Perhaps the last of the generalists who were trusted by small and large businesses alike with both litigation and corporate matters, Denny really excelled at state and local tax and corporate governance.  Through much of the 1980s and 1990s, Denny ran the firm as its Managing Partner and was universally respected for his unique combination of exacting expectations, hard work, fairness, and patience with his colleagues.  One of Denny’s many legacies is the number of attorneys in succeeding generations who were lucky to learn their profession working side by side with Denny.

A proud west-sider, Xavier University and Michigan law grad, Denny interacted equally well with the business leaders at the Queen City Club and his fellow Elder alums at their frequent Price Hill Chili lunches. Denny’s civic commitment is best represented by his devotion to Goodwill Industries, where Denny was a Board member beginning in 1965, and President of its Board from 1992-2001. After retiring, Denny continued to come to the Frost Brown Todd offices (as he had for almost 50 years) for as long as he could.  He stayed in frequent contact with his legal practice assistant Ginny Hartman, who remained close to Denny even after his retirement from active practice.

We were blessed to have had Denny as a leader and colleague at Frost & Jacobs and Frost Brown Todd, and his legacy lives on here and in the community.   The obituary published Sunday in the Cincinnati Enquirer, including information about memorial contributions to Goodwill, can be found at this link https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/cincinnati/obituary.aspx?n=dennis-joseph-barron&pid=196545502&fhid=13813.