Barbara Belton - 1963
BIO & Picture from 40th Reunion
Bio & Picture update for 50th Reunion
























Barbara Belton Burns - 2003-09-13

 
 

Attended Ohio State University majoring in Music and Theater.

Executive/owner of a nutritional supplement distributor.  Distributes specialty formulated liquid glucosamine, zinc, copper products manufactured by a closely held company.

Mother of three boys.  One son is an International Mergers and Acquisition attorney, lives in Australia, one son is the Director of Internal Audit for an accounting firm in Cleveland, Ohio the third son is deceased.  Six grandchildren.  One boy and five girls ranging from 13 years to 1 year old.

Special recognition.  Marquis Who’s Who in America; Who’s Who of American Women.  Arthur Young/Venture magazines Entrepreneur of the Year in 1988.  Volunteer of the Year Opera Columbus, Columbus, Ohio,  Volunteer of the year Diabetes Foundation.  Naples, FL.  Elder and choir member of Presbyterian Church, USA.  Photographic model for Krogers, Enfamil, Sheraton Hotels, etc., Actress Stage and Industrial Films.

Interests.  Singing, golf, tennis, health, exercise, threater.  Being kind and loving to those in need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
 

November 12, 2013
First let me commend Charley for all his hard work and dedication in keeping track of the 1963 classmates throughout the years. As we all know it is not an easy job and if you have been as cooperative as I have, downright difficult. It has been hard for me to write about myself because really I do not know who would be interested in the recapping my life. Once I left Columbia I never returned. My parents moved, I lived all over the country, and I had very little contact with anyone from Hickman. I have always had a warm spot in my heart for my friends in Columbia and have been proud of the education HHS provided me, because of Hickman I was able to define my principals and goals which has lead me to where I am today which is having far too many things left to do on my bucket list to have time to age or retire. I just spent the last two days (on and off) reading bios and looking at pictures of my fellow classmate and I cannot tell you the joy it has given me. I am so proud of my classmates of 1963. You have made a difference.



Barbara Belton Burns Married to Donald E. Burns


Three sons Timothy J. Bohannon (three children), Brian E. Burns (deceased 2012), (three children), David K. Burns (deceased 1992)


I was born in Fredericktown, Mo in a Nazarene parsonage (home provided by congregation for ministers). We moved from MO to Iowa where my father pastored several small churches. My parents decided they wanted to return to their roots so we moved back to Missouri settling in Columbia when I was 11.

While a senior in high school I dated Larry Bohannon who was at Mizzou and a member of the baseball team. We married, he signed as a pitcher with the Colt 45’s (Houston team that later became the Astros) finally ending up in Coco, Florida with a son Timothy J. Larry taught and coached, on Merritt Island FL while playing baseball in Orlando, FL for a Minnesota Twins farm team and I was a substitute teacher for the (Florida) Brevard County School System. We moved to Ohio where I attended The Ohio State University majoring in music and theater. Shortly after entering college Larry and I divorced, I became a waitress and singer at a top rated restaurant and “worked my way through college”. After five years of college and carrying a double major it was time to go to work so I left for Chicago and became a marketing director.

On a very cold (80 below zero) fateful night I ran into my future husband Don at a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. The next day February 29th 1980 started what has been an amazing 32 years + with a man who has become my partner, lover, best friend, my left kidney (he has it now ), and husband.

Like everyone else, our life has had many joys and sorrows. We blended a family and raised three sons, two of them Don’s and one mine. Two of our sons have given us six grandchildren who are currently ages 22, 17, 14, and three 10 year olds. One of our sons died prematurely at age 22 from complications of type II diabetes. Our middle son died June 22, 2012 from PTSS resulting from being trapped in the World Trade Center on 9/11, but he left us with a beautiful Australian daughter in law (daughter) and three wonderful granddaughters.

The photograph was taken Christmas 2011 with our son Brian (tallest) who passed and his two daughters (dark hair) and our son Tim and his one daughter (all the girls were 9 at the time). The rest of the crew were too busy to join us.

Six years ago Don was diagnosed with stage 5 renal failure (not good). After four years of incredible health care in Las Vegas and Indiana, it was time for a kidney transplant and fortunately I was a perfect match. March 24, 2013 will be our two year anniversary when we were truly bonded for life at IU Health Organ Transplant Center in Indianapolis, IN. Today he has my kidney and I pee more frequently but we are both doing very well.

We have traveled extensively on pleasure and business. We lived in Margarita, Venezuela for three years working on a humanitarian project. We manufacture a product that makes undrinkable water in developing countries potable by placing one drop of our product in two liters of water, this same technology is being used in India to assist in providing nutritional water for the Indian population (huge over simplification). This same core technology is what allows us to make a unique liquid glucosamine, zinc, and calcium which I sell to individuals and clinicians. Naples, Florida is our home; we have a sales and marketing office in Las Vegas, and a manufacturing plant in Muncie, IN where we spend a lot of time.

We have played tennis in Gstaad, Switzerland, attended Wimbledon in London, shopped in Hong Kong, visited the Koalas in Australia, traipsed the Yukon, and cruised the Caribbean but my greatest joy is hiking, going to the museum, shopping, telling stories or playing board games or the WII with our grandchildren.

A musher puppy and me in Carcross, CA Yukon


Tim and two of his children with Nana at Chuckee Cheese


Music is still my passion and I sing with the First Presbyterian Church choir, but I have sung with Naples Philharmonic Choral, backed up Wayne Newton and Marvin Hamlisch in Las Vegas, sang Rutter’s Requiem in Carnegie Hall under the direction of John Rutter, and at times sing with a gospel group in Las Vegas that can get a congregation rocking.

Career Path: Serial Entrepreneur; President of an Investment Company, Designed and scheduled to build one of the first all-suite hotels in the country in Tallahassee FL, developed a chain of Total Wardrobe Care Stores in Columbus, Oh, President of The Diabetes Foundation of Southwest Florida, , President or shareholder of specialty nutritional companies. We have worked for the past 17 years with industry and humanitarian organizations either making liquid drinkables work better or providing potable drinking water in areas of the world that have none. Photographic model for Kroger’s, Enfamil, Sheraton Hotels, etc.; Actor Stage and Industrial films.

Special recognition: Marquis Who’s Who in American; Featured in Cambridge Who’s Who 2012, Arthur Young/Venture Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year in 1988. Volunteer of the Year Opera Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, volunteer of the year Diabetes Foundation, Naples, Fl.; Elder Presbyterian Church, USA;

Interests: Singing, golf, tennis, health and nutrition, palates & yoga, photography, theater, horses (bred and raced harness horses), football by default, OSU, Ball State, Colts, (sorry Missou)


Wishing everyone a happy 50th!

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