CANTON, Mo. – Thomas R. Barry, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Mighty Distributing Systems of America, Inc., in Norcross, Ga., will be the commencement speaker at Culver-Stockton College’s 163rd commencement ceremony at 9:30 a.m. May 11 on the Quad. Approximately 220 graduate candidates are scheduled to receive degrees.
Barry is a 1967 graduate of Duke University, and he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1967-70. He is a Vietnam veteran. He was president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta-based North Riverside Venture Group from 1984 to 1995 before going to Mighty Distributing Systems from 1996 to 2009. He served as director of a number of venture-backed companies and is founding director of the Atlanta Venture Forum. He is a past president of the Southeastern Association of Small Business Investment Companies.
Both of Barry’s parents are alumni of Culver-Stockton College. George Barry graduated in 1941, and Mary Barry graduated in 1942.
Barry now serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau in Cashiers, N.C. He and his wife Claire divide their time between Cashiers and Amelia Island, Fla. They have three married children and seven grandchildren.
Commencement week at Culver-Stockton begins with the Honors Day Convocation at 11:30 a.m. May 7 in the Alexander Campbell Auditorium. The Senior Dinner will be at 7 p.m. May 9 in the Dining Hall at the Gladys Crown Student Center. Baccalaureate is at 5:30 p.m. May 10 in the Alexander Campbell Auditorium, and a breakfast before Commencement will be at 8 a.m. May 11.
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NOTE: A number that appears immediately after a person’s name (i.e. Jane Doe ’18) is a reference to the year that person earned their bachelor’s degree from Culver-Stockton.