Frank E. Barber, III

Dr. Frank Elliott Barber III left this world on November 20, 2024, at the age of 84. He had been living in Bozeman, MT with his beloved wife, Deborah Estey Barber, who passed away just 6 months prior.

 Born on November 16, 1940, in Brattleboro, VT, Frank lived a life full of outdoor adventure, academic service, and achievements. In 1967, he married Kathleen Nunan, also from Brattleboro, and was father to Jennifer Herbert of Prescott, AZ and Leslie VanDerven of Fort Collins, CO, and grandfather to Logan and Luke Herbert, and Roman and Drake VanDerven. He is survived by his sister Susan Barber of Taos, NM, brother Hugh Barber of Brattleboro, VT, and brother George Brust of Richfield, MN. He will also be missed by Chase, David, and Ellie DeForest.

 Frank graduated from Brattleboro Union High School in 1958, then went on to study Engineering Science at Dartmouth College. He took a leave of absence to join the U.S. Army 1960-1963 and was stationed in Orleans, France. In 1966, he received an A.B. from Dartmouth College and in 1970, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University, where he studied high frequency ultrasound transducers. Frank completed his formal education with a Ph.D in 1976 at the University of Washington, where he studied ultrasound in medicine and bio-engineering.

His contributions to medical science are numerous. Most impressive was his work developing real-time high resolution imaging and the duplex echo-Doppler technique for vascular diagnosis, which is life saving technology still in use today. As an Assistant Professor of Radiology-Physics at Harvard Medical School 1975-1987, he was responsible for ultrasound programs and directed research for the use of ultrasound in the diagnosis of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Frank was on the staff of both Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Sidney Farber Cancer Institute. Some of his other positions included: Senior Scientist at the Institute of Applied Physiology and Medicine, Director of Research at Life Science, Inc., Senior Technology Analyst at Pfizer, Inc., and Director of Bio-Medical Acoustics at the National Center for Physical Acoustics. Frank was a member of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the Acoustical Society of America, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. As a lifetime member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, he served as Boston Chapter Chairman of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society and served on the Administrative Committee of the Sonics and Ultrasonics Group. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi, and authored or co-authored over 40 publications, mostly in the field of medical ultrasonics.

Frank could often be found in his workshop “fixing” things and quite possibly sipping pure Vermont Grade A maple syrup out of a coffee cup. He liked to read, write, play cards, listen to Rachmaninoff, country music as it used to be, and oldies. Casablanca and Shane were his favorite movies. More than anything, Frank loved the mountains and staying active outdoors. Like all Vermont Barbers, he was a fearless ski jumper in the 60’s. He loved both downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, mountaineering, sailing, biking, and running. His passion for adventure lives on in both of his daughters.

A celebration of life will be held this spring in Brattleboro, VT. The date and details TBD.

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