The eighth grade students of Randolph-Macon Academy Middle School will celebrate the culmination of their middle school career at a promotion ceremony on Thursday, May 29 at 1:30 pm in Boggs Chapel.
The guest speaker for the event is Malcolm Barr Sr., a retired journalist and U.S. government public affairs officer, whose son, Malcolm Jr., graduated from Randolph-Macon Academy in 2002.
Born and educated in England, Barr immigrated to Canada in 1955, then moved, six years later, to the U.S. and first settled in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was ultimately transferred from the mid-Pacific to Washington, D.C., by The Associated Press. He later moved away from journalism, becoming Press Secretary to U.S. Senator Hiram L. Fong of Hawaii in 1970. For 25 years, he worked in press relations for the Departments of Labor, Justice, and Commerce in Washington.
Barr and his wife, Carol, moved to Front Royal following their retirements from the federal government 14 years ago. During their son’s five years at R-MA, Mr. Barr served a term as president of the Parents’ Association. He has since been an active supporter of Randolph-Macon Academy, and helped develop a successful student exchange program with his alma mater, the historic (1585) Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in the U.K.
Outside of R-MA, Barr has occupied various positions with local non-profit organizations, including two years as president of the Humane Society of Warren County. He a member of the Front Royal Rotary Club and a contributing writer for the Warren County/Frederick County Report.
Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA), founded in 1892, is a college-preparatory, coeducational day and boarding school for students in grades 6 through 12. Students in grades 9-12 participate in R-MA’s 91st Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and have the option to participate in a unique flight program. R-MA is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is located in Front Royal, VA.