Oliver James "Jim" Barr III was born in Norwood, Mass. on May 24, 1920. In 1938, Barr graduated from Loomis School (now Loomis Chaffee), a college preparatory school in Windsor, Connecticut. He later attended the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, where he became an avid skier and graduated cum laude in May 1942. Barr enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 9, 1942. He joined the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash., where he was assigned to Company E. On January 16, 1943, shortly after his arrival at Camp Hale, Colorado, Barr was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for officer training. He graduated and received his 2nd lieutenant's commission on April 21, 1943. He was assigned to the 86th Infantry Regiment and following a four-week period of gas warfare training in Baltimore, Md., was later transferred to the newly-activated 85th Infantry Regiment, where he became a platoon leader in Company I. On July 1, 1944 Barr became the battalion S-2 (intelligence and security officer) for the 3rd Battalion of the 85th Infantry Regiment, a position he held for the remainder of the war. He was also stationed at Camp Hale (Colo.), Camp Swift (Tex.), Camp Carson (Colo.), and Jolan, Calif. During combat operations in Italy, Barr received two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantryman Badge. He died in Denver, Colo. on April 16, 2005.
From the description of Oliver James "Jim" Barr papers, 1994-2004 [manuscript]. (Denver Public Library). WorldCat record id: 71753030
