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He wasn’t born in Springfield and he didn’t spend the majority of his life here, but longtime Price is Right host Bob Barker, who died Saturday at the age of 99, has close ties to the Queen City.
Barker, who was born December 12, 1923 in Washington State and raised on a South Dakota Indian reservation, was a teenager when he moved to Springfield with his mother.
He worked as a summer bellhop at Lake Taneycomo and graduated from Senior High School (later named Central High School).
Barker attended Drury College (now Drury University) on a basketball scholarship.
He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1943 during World War II, where he trained as a fighter pilot, even though he didn’t see active combat.
In 1945, while on leave from the military, Barker married Dorothy Jo Gideon, who he met while attending Senior High. The two began dating when they were 15 years old.
After the war, Barker returned to Drury, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1947, with a degree in economics.
Barker worked at radio station KTTS before moving to south Florida and then to southern California, where he was discovered and began hosting the Bob Barker Radio Show.
Barker then went on to television fame, hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975, then began a long run on The Price is Right in 1972, hosting the daily game show until 2007.
Barker made numerous appearances in Springfield and at his alma mater over the years, and has a street, Bob Barker Boulevard, named after him.
During his career, Bob Barker was honored with 19 Emmy Awards and inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and the Hall of Famous Missourians.
Drury University released this Saturday afternoon:
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., August 26, 2023 — The Drury University family is celebrating the life and legacy of alumnus Bob Barker following his passing at the age of 99. Barker graduated from Drury College in 1947 and began his long and successful broadcasting career in Springfield.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob’s family, friends and fans today,” said Drury President John Beuerlein. “Bob was a wonderful, caring person whose passion for his chosen causes burned brightly. He made a difference in the world, and he certainly made a difference for Drury students with his generous gifts to the university.”
Barker, one of the world’s most visible and well-known animal advocates, donated a total of $3.1 million to his alma mater to establish and support the interdisciplinary Animal Studies Program – one of the first such programs at the undergraduate level in the United States. Barker’s generous contributions have also established the Dorothy Jo Barker Endowed Professorship of Animal Rights, currently held by Dr. Patricia McEachern. His gift also funded an endowed scholarship and an endowed experiential learning grant fund for students pursuing a minor or credential in Animal Studies at Drury.
“I’ve lost a dear friend and so have animals all over the world,” said McEachern. “Bob Barker was the Mother Teresa of animals and the kindest, most generous man I have ever known. It is because of Bob Barker’s efforts that most of us have our cats and dogs spayed or neutered. He has helped relocate countless abused elephants, lions, tigers and chimps to sanctuaries. Bob’s generosity to Drury has allowed me to do the most meaningful work of my life through our Animal Studies minor, for which I will always be grateful.”
About Bob Barker
Barker earned a B.A. in economics from Drury College in 1947, after returning to school following training as a Navy fighter pilot in the waning days of World War II. While at Drury, Barker was a member of the Panthers basketball team and Sigma Nu fraternity.
While at Drury, he began pursuing a career in broadcasting that included a part-time stint on Springfield radio station KTTS. He and his wife eventually moved to Florida and then on to California in 1950 to follow that passion. Barker landed radio gigs in Los Angeles and went on to host and star on audience participation television shows, including “Truth or Consequences” and a 35-year run on “The Price Is Right.”
Barker became a vegetarian in the late 1970s and, following his wife’s death due to lung cancer in the early 1980s, he began his personal advocacy for animals in order to honor her passion for animals. From his signature sign-off phase reminding owners to spay or neuter their pets to his staunch support of animal groups and animal issues on a global scale, Barker became perhaps just as well known for his chosen cause as for his five-decade run on television.