Roy Alan Barnes, 71, passed away on June 1, 2018. Roy graduated with honors from New Mexico Military Institute where he played defensive lineman for the school's championship football team. He attended Colorado State University intending on majoring in Veterinarian Sciences, but ultimately changed his major to Zoology. After his graduation in 1968, he received a full fellowship to ASU, but his studies were interrupted by the Vietnam War. Roy served from 1969-1973 at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson Arizona as an x-ray technician. After leaving the Air Force, Roy received his Masters of Science in Zoology from ASU in 1974. Soon thereafter, he took a full-time job on campus as a lab technician in the Anthropology Department. He taught Biology at Scottsdale Community College from 1974 until his retirement in 2012. During his tenure, Roy received many accolades and awards for his hands on and enthusiastic approach to teaching. He received SCC's prestigious "Outstanding Environmental Biologist" award in 1992 and took a full-time professorship in the following year. In 1998, he was recognized as "Outstanding Faculty Member," and in 2011, he was recognized by the school for the creation of the "Hall of Biodiversity Past." His greatest passion and accomplishment was helping to envision and secure the funding for the SCC Center for Nature and Urban Wildlife. In addition, Roy taught children and students part-time throughout his life in the Phoenix Zoo education program and at SCC. His fantasy novel, The Children of Fardragon, published in 2015, chronicles his love of nature in a fantastical world of dragons and environmental destruction. The "tree dragons" of Fardragon are mythical elaborations of the same "tree dragons" he wrote about for his Masters Thesis at ASU decades earlier: Urosaurus Ornatus, the ornate tree lizard. Roy is survived by his wife, Betty Jayne, who worked in the Dean’s Office in the College of Business in the ’70’s. Also surviving are two children and five grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held at 10 am, Saturday, June 23, 2018, at Mariposa Gardens Cemetery Chapel, 6747 E. Broadway Rd, Mesa AZ 85206. In memory of Roy, consider a donation to CNUW at SCC or to one of many organizations committed to helping animals or keeping the earth safe. (Source: Arizona Republic)