Kyle City Council Awards Lifetime Achievement Award

City of Kyle Texas Official Website

Robert Clark Barton, Jr., didn’t start off as a resident of Kyle, but like most other things that were important to him, he took action to correct the situation and requested to be annexed so he could pay Kyle taxes and vote in Kyle elections. 

Barton, known as “Bob”, didn’t stop with paying taxes and voting. Over the course of the next six decades, Barton dedicated his life to recording Kyle’s history through his newspapers, preserving Kyle’s heritage through his philanthropy, and championing the rights of others through his courage.

The Kyle City Council paid homage to the life of “Bob” Barton and his many selfless contributions to the City of Kyle by passing a resolution declaring Barton to be the inaugural recipient of the City of Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award and also declaring that all future Lifetime Achievement Awards will also bear his name in recognition of his life of service to the community. The resolution was passed at the Kyle City Council meeting held on Wednesday, October 8th, 2014.

“Bob’s influence is part of the fabric of Kyle,” said Kyle Mayor Todd Webster. “Kyle would not be the place it is today without Bob Barton. He was not afraid to ask the hard questions or give the even harder answers. He never backed down from a challenge and always put his time, energy and money where his heart was. He is the perfect example of what this Lifetime Achievement Award should be.”

Barton was born in Northern Hays County in April, 1930, and spent his life in the Kyle area until his passing in January of 2013.

The resolution passed by the city council honored Barton’s contributions to the citizens of Kyle, including service to his country through two wars, championing the integration of Kyle schools, publishing a local newspaper to keep Kyle citizens informed for over 60 years, serving as Kyle’s representative in the 68th Texas Legislature, serving as Vice-Chairman of the City of Kyle’s first Charter Commission, and many more.

Two of Barton’s lasting contributions involved his key role in the preservation of the Claiborne Kyle Log house, home to Kyle’s founder Fergus Kyle, and also the preservation of the Katherine Anne Porter House, home to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Anne Porter. Without his intervention, these two historic icons of Kyle’s heritage might not have remained in Kyle for future generations to enjoy.

Barton was also recognized through the resolution for his participation in Kyle’s many community and civic organizations, including the Kyle Lions Club, the Kyle Area Voters League, the Downtown Advocates, the Mexican-American Democratic Caucus & Tejano Democrats, serving as precinct chair, and county chair of the Hays County Democratic Party, and was a member of the American G.I. Forum, and many others.

Receiving the award on behalf of Mr. Barton was his wife Tutta, his son Jeff, city council members, and dozens of other family, friends and supporters from Kyle, Hays County and Central Texas.

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