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Adding to honors that include membership in the Maroon Club Hall of Fame, Jonathan Barnes ’68 was one of 10 athletes inducted into the Branford (Conn.) Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 19.
A member of the first Branford High School track team in 1961, Barnes once held Branford’s record in both the half-mile and mile races. Branford won the Housatonic League title during its inaugural season and finished with a record of 5-2.
Barnes was considered one of the two premier distance runners in the state of Connecticut during his junior and senior years and was track team captain from 1962–63.
“To be honest,” he says, “being inducted into the Lafayette Maroon Club Hall of Fame was more prestigious. It is a very nice honor though.”
After attending Cheshire Academy, Barnes continued his stellar track career at Lafayette. The economics graduate set five individual school records in track and field and was a member of two record-setting relay teams. In 1968, he was awarded the Harry Jahn Track Award. Captain of the team his senior year, Barnes says running for Lafayette was the highlight of his college experience.
“One of the most significant achievements was representing Lafayette at the 1967 NCAA indoor track meet,” he says. “It probably was the pinnacle of my career, and it was nice to contribute to the team’s success.”
Still an avid runner, Barnes attends one Lafayette track meet every year. He says he is thankful to have participated in a sport that he still is able to enjoy.
“My running career was a long and good one,” he says. “The running seeds planted in high school and college have been something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Vice president in business banking for Sovereign Bank in Providence, R.I., Barnes earned his MBA from Bryant University in 1976.