One year ago today, September 11, 2001, the family and friends of Fred. C. (Barney) Barnes gathered at Christ Church on Middle Road in Warwick to pay their respects to a man who called Bermuda "home". We prefer to call him 'Pop'.

Pop was born in Cambridge, Mass. on June 8, 1908 and moved to Bermuda at the age of 17 to work as a printer at the Belmont Hotel, a position he held for many years. In 1943, he joined Pan Am at Darrell's Island and then onto Kindley Field and retired from PanAm in 1974. He spent his retirement with his wife, Gracie, whom he married in the same church on November 5, 1930. They always joked about being married on Guy Fawkes Day.

As you remember, it was the same morning that the horrible attacks took place in New York City and Washington, DC and a day we shall never forget. Due to the chaos and confusion, we were not able to say thank you to all who made Pop's life a great one in Bermuda, especially in his final years.

Thanks to my son Garth and his wife for helping Pop; thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital; thanks to Mrs. Godfrey and her staff at the Herb Garden for taking care of him in his final six months; thanks to Mrs. Harper at Little Pomander Gate for making sure we had a place to stay; thanks to Paul at the Pickled Onion making sure we had food; thanks to Suzann Holshouser of ZBM-TV for making sure our emails got back to our employers in Texas; Charlotte Andrews for making sure Pop's stamp collection will be displayed at the Bermuda Maritime Museum; thanks to Tom Trimingham (VP9KG) for contacting our friends in Florida to assure them we were safe and sound; David and Lydia Olivera for providing Pop and Mom a place to live for many, many years; to the honorary pallbearers, Leslie Hooper, Lee Darrell, Colin Plant and Ernest Roberts; Donna Place of the Bank of Butterfield; and to all Bermudians who waved to Pop as he went up and down Rural Hill to collect his newspaper at the Paget Pharmacy and groceries from A-One in Paget.

But a very special "thank you" must be given to Rudolph "Sparky" and Velda Swan who adopted Pop as if he was one of their own family.

Pop could depend on them for his daily copy of the Royal Gazette, the weekly trip to the A-One grocery store and the occasional sightseeing trips in Rudy's taxi. Rudy and Velda also made our four day stay in Bermuda as enjoyable as possible, given the circumstances.

And finally, Bermuda will always be in our hearts not only because of its beauty but due to those we still call "our friends". If you are ever out our way, please give us a jingle and we'll "hoist" a few.

F. Gordon and Linda K. Barnes

1122 Highbush Drive

Benbrook, Tx. 76126

Telephone: 817-249-6903