My nephew Johnny, as we know him, is (even to his family) a unique, one-of-a-kind, remarkable individual. I say “even to his family” because family members sometimes minimize the attributes and achievements of those they have watched grow from infants to children to teens and then to take for granted the grown-up that child has become. And in many instances, an individual’s professional persona differs from the personal one.

That is not the case with John Barkett. He is the same thoughtful, generous, patient and giving person both privately and publicly. He gives to his family, his friends and even to mere acquaintances with the same generosity and commitment that he has given to his profession.