BARBIER WAS ONE OF A KIND

It may have all started with some eye contact.

At the time, Shirley Miller was a student at Harbord Collegiate in Toronto.

Alex Barbier, five years older than Miller, was Athletic Director of St. Alban's - a boys and girls club located in a Parish hall. The club has since become a popular location for young people to grow into healthy, confident and contributing adults.

As the story goes, Miller lived on Palmerston - a street that also housed St. Alban's.

She attended the club in her spare time and, well, the winking progressed between Miller and Barbier. Three years later, Barbier asked her to marry him and wedding bells rang on June 8, 1974.

"He winked at me and I winked back at him," she recalled. "It was something special, he was a great guy - but I knew when I married him that sport was his life and he would always find time to help children."

She was right about the sports.

And while marriage and family were No. 1 with Barbier, he spent countless hours looking for ways to help young adults stay in school, pursue education and a career. Sports were the link.

Barbier had accepted a job at George Brown College in 1972 as an Intramural Coordinator, then assistant Athletic Director to Vince Drake and took over the top job four years later when Drake had passed away.

In a span of 31 years, Barbier became a huge part of George Brown College history creating opportunities for students to participate in sport, help them expand social skills and find a way to keep in physical shape during their break from classroom studies. When funding and facilities were limited, Barbier still found ways to offer programs - some, such as rugby and alpine skiing, no longer exist on the varsity program.

Where there was a challenge, Barbier never backed off.

"I remember when he was inducted -- it was the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Hall of Fame," said Shirley, recalling that moment in 2005. "This was special. The family was so proud. But Alex was so humble. He never wanted the personal awards, the recognition - there were times he declined them."

Two years before the OCAA honours, Barbier retired from a remarkable career of helping thousands. Then, on July 6, 2011, Barbier lost a battle with pancreatic cancer.

"George Brown was his life," said Shirley. "About the only thing he never did was sleep (George Brown), otherwise you name it and he was involved."

Among his many accomplishments, Barbier did see a huge benefit it having students gather to remember their days at George Brown and back in 1987 launched the inaugural Athletic Homecoming. Every five years, dozens of alumni and staff gather to share stories - and this year will be something special.

George Brown's 45th Homecoming, activities set for Oct. 5 and 6 with a gala event-ending dinner at the Boulevard Club, will honour Barbier.

Barbier, kind and gentle, had a special way of working with students. It was reflected with the way he, and his wife, raised their children: Alexander, Bryan and Jennifer.

"Don't know how he did it, but Alex coached our kids on weekends, loved his family and being home and yet he was always making people happy," said Shirley. "When I was informed that George Brown was going to honour Alex at the Homecoming, I was thrilled for him but it also made me cry."

As for Alex, if he knew he would be honoured, he would have likely laughed, turned red-faced and say "it's nice, but let's focus on others."

Source: George Brown College