Henry Barnes, the author of Into the Heart's Land and A Life for the Spirit, crossed the threshold September 18, 2008, at 10:15p.m. For the past several years, he was a resident at the Fellowship Community in Chestnut Ridge, New York. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know and work with him were always touched by Henry's generous warmth and endless optimism in life.

Henry Barnes was born in New York City, attended Lincoln School of Teachers’ College, and obtained his B.S. degree from Harvard College in 1933. He went on to Waldorf teacher training in Stuttgart until 1934. From 1935 until 1939, be was a class teacher at New School, Michael Hall, England. Mr. Barnes and Christy MacKaye were married on September 5, 1939, in Dornach, Switzerland, after which he returned with her to New York City. There, he was a class teacher at Rudolf Steiner School from 1940 until 1943, when he entered the U.S. Army until after the war in 1946. Mr. Barnes returned to the Rudolf Steiner School as a class teacher and high school history teacher, which he continued until 1977. During that time, he was also a faculty chairperson. From 1974 until 1991, Mr. Barnes was the general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America.

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For a personal glimpse of Henry Barnes and his early experiences with Anthroposophy, read "The First Summer School and a Personal Interlude," an excerpt from his book, Into the Heart's Land. The excerpt is a PDF file: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.