Barry M. Buxton

Dr. Barry M. Buxton is a native of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. He is the retired president of Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. In a diverse career spanning 35 years, he has been a science museum director, writer and editor, teacher, researcher, community leader, and real estate developer. As Vice President of the Savannah College of Art and Design, he helped establish campuses in Atlanta and Lacoste, France. Dr. Buxton has extensive international experience in Europe and China. In 1987 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Blue Ridge Parkway for his research on such sites as the Moses Cone Estate, Brinegar Cabin, Mabry Mill, and Davey Farm. He had the honor of working with former President H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush and the Harris County Medical Society to establish and direct the Houston Museum of Health and Medical Science. In 1989, his centennial history of Blowing Rock, A Village Tapestry, received the Best Community History Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians. He has served as a consultant to such diverse organizations as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Tennessee Board of Regents, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Texas A&M University. He is the former president of NCAA Conference Carolinas. In 2016, Governor Pat McCrory awarded Dr. Buxton Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian award in the state. In 2022, the Blowing Rock Civic Association presented the Paul H. Broyhill Community Service Award to Buxton in recognition of his service to the community of Blowing Rock. In retirement, Barry resides with his wife Lyn in Blowing Rock and Bluffton, South Carolina. He is an avid golfer, tennis player, and cyclist.