Barry Metzer, a founding Board Member of the Partnership for Transparency Fund and for a dozen years its beacon and moral compass, died on Saturday, December 22, 2012 of complications from chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.
Barry was one of five original Board Members who created the PTF in 2000. He guided its establishment as a public charity. He arranged for his law firm, Baker and McKenzie, to provide pro bono legal counsel, and he single-handedly secured funding from a private foundation that enabled the PTF to professionalize its management. He was proud to see the PTF grow and prosper, in no small measure due to his good works.
He was the ultimate Board Member—committed to the purpose of the PTF, willing to do whatever was asked of him, creative and strategic. When the Board might disagree about the road to take, Barry consistently pointed us in the right direction by the force of his logic and common sense. When Barry approved, you knew it was right.
Barry was generous with his time, gracious with his praise and wise. We were honored to be his friends and colleagues and blessed by his presence. We will miss him beyond measure.
Daniel Ritchie
PTF President
