Barry McKuin, who served as a board member for 15 of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute’s 20 years of existence, passed away on the morning of February 18, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was 80 years old.
Many of us at the Institute have known, personally and professionally, Barry and his wife, Phyllis, for years. He was as warm and gracious a presence as anyone could want, and his leadership at the Institute laid the path for our organization to flourish.
“The Institute’s staff and board of directors join the Petit Jean Mountain and broader Morrilton community in celebrating Barry McKuin’s life as we grieve his passing,” Janet Harris, Institute executive director/CEO, said. “Barry was an unwavering champion of the Institute and our mission. His steadfast commitment and unending support have been instrumental to our success thus far, and his contributions will continue to guide our path as we look toward the next 20 years. We are deeply grateful to Barry, Phyllis, and the McKuin family for their enduring dedication.”
A memorial service for Barry will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the Morrilton First United Methodist Church at 201 S. Chestnut St., with a visitation to follow. In remembrance of Barry’s life and the causes that were important to him, his family asks that any charitable donations be made to the Institute, the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, or the Morrilton First United Methodist Church.
Barry has a long history not only with the Institute but also with the 188 acres of pastoral mountaintop it occupies. After Winthrop Rockefeller passed away in 1973, his estate took over Winrock Farms and later hired Barry as its first Chief Financial Officer. He retired after several years of work with Winrock Farms and Winthrop Paul, Winthrop’s son and former Lt. Governor of Arkansas. He was also heavily involved with the Conway County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) during this time, eventually becoming president.
There came a day, according to Barry, when he received a call from Allen Gordon, a lawyer in Morrilton. Gordon said there was “a little group trying to get together on the mountain” and wanted Barry to sit in on the beginning conversations. Though his role was unofficial, Barry continued to participate in subsequent meetings until a task force formally established what is now the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. He was then invited to serve on its original board of directors. Over the next few years, the Institute’s facilities were improved and expanded, yet its core mission was difficult to define or implement.
“I stayed on that board because I live here, I have an association with this place, and I thought it could be turned into something extremely good for Morrilton, Arkansas, and the Rockefeller name,” Barry told us in 2020 upon his retirement from the Institute.
“Barry never lost sight of what it could mean to Arkansas,” Lisenne Rockefeller, secretary of the Institute’s board of directors, said at the time. “His agenda was the Institute’s. Deeply ethical and moral, he encourages the best in everyone, and he does it by modeling those characteristics. He never gave up on his vision for the Institute, and as a result, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is on a solid foundation for the future.”
Once the Institute’s mission became clear, Barry’s leadership always supported its endeavors. One program, Uncommon Communities, exists largely because Barry introduced Institute administrators to Dr. Vaughn Grisham, a now-retired professor from the University of Mississippi. Barry remembers hearing a lecture by Dr. Grisham when he was still working for Winrock Farms.
He became so enamored with Grisham’s message of community development preceding economic development that he, admittedly someone who does not take notes, began scribbling them onto the back of an event flyer. Dr. Grisham spoke to the CCEDC several times at Barry’s request and helped form Uncommon Communities, in which Conway County was an inaugural participant. Barry and Phyllis attended every single session.
“Incredibly intelligent, Barry is one of those people who can see the big picture, focus on the future, and keep others on track,” Lisenne Rockefeller continued. “His commitment to his family and community is a blessing to all.”