Rockland Non-Agenarian (90 to 99 years old) Celebrates 94th Birthday with Humane Society Supply Call, Especially for Cats!

Malcolm Barr Sr., who turns 93 on Tuesday, March 10 — born 1933 — will celebrate his birthday at the Virginia Beer Museum in Front Royal on March 10th with a Museum-sponsored party that, in lieu of gifts, asks that donations of dog and cat food be taken to the party for pickup by County Animal Shelter personnel.

“Since I entered my 90s, I’ve done this in favor of the Humane Society of Warren County’s Front Royal Animal Shelter, resulting last year in a huge output of cat and dog food from my many guests. In view of a plethora of 50 or so cats taken in, in recent weeks, many of which are seeking either forever or temporary homes, this year I want to stress their needs to my party guests and thank them for their continuing generosity,” Barr said.

Barr naturally comes to love his community’s animal population. He is a former president of the Humane Society of Warren County (HSWC) and a lifelong supporter of both wild and domestic animals requiring treatment and shelter in his home country, England, as well as in Canada and the USA.

Malcolm looks on as former Executive Director of HSWC Meghan Bowers lays wreath at Dogs of War Wagner Shelter site ceremony. Barr was instrumental not only in starting the annual Dogs of War event in Gazebo Park, but also in relocating it to the Wagner Shelter site for future annual ceremonies. Below is a close-up of the memorial garden dedication sign. Royal Examiner File Photos Roger Bianchini

A former journalist in all three countries, and a longtime director of public affairs in the federal government, Barr and his late wife Carol retired to Front Royal 24 years ago, where Barr continued a hobby/business of racing and breeding thoroughbred horses for 21 years. And Barr Sr. later published a book about his exploits in the horse racing industry. In fact, this reporter first met Barr during an interview about the publication of his horse-racing book on a Valley Today episode, circa 2016, when I was hosting The News at Noon and the Valley Today radio hour locally.

Barr Sr. is a member of the Rotary Club of Front Royal, the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., and a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Combat Correspondents Association through his Associated Press coverage of the Vietnam War through Pacific military headquarters in Hawaii. He was also a press secretary to then U.S. Senator from Hawaii, Hiram L. Fong.

But it’s not only animals — former Pacific theater Vietnam War correspondent Malcolm was instrumental in supporting the re-emergence of Memorial Day and other veterans-friendly events in Front Royal and Warren County. Here, he addresses the crowd at a veterans event on the WC Courthouse lawn.

After his and Carol’s relocation to Front Royal/Warren County, the career journalist began contributing stories to several papers that this reporter worked for, including The Warren Sentinel, The Warren Report, and Royal Examiner. Readers who have recently missed Barr’s contributions to the Examiner should know that he has stopped reporting on local matters in response to ongoing health consequences from a fall. Nobody said pushing that nonagenarian age into the mid-90s was going to be easy.

But what a long, multi-faceted, and interesting trip it’s been, starting in Barr’s native England, then on to Canada and the U.S.

So, Happy Birthday, Malcolm Barr Sr., and thanks to both you and Carol, while she was still here, for becoming such great and supportive friends, not only to this reporter, but to this community, its animals in need, and military veterans deserving acknowledgment for their service.

And speaking of service and thanks, may this reporter add a big THANK YOU to U.S. Air Force veteran of the Iraq War, Malcolm Barr Jr., for taking a leave of absence from his private-sector cybersecurity career to help his dad through the early consequences of his fall.