Joseph Barker Sr.

Joseph Barker Sr. worked on equipment designed to keep astronauts alive outside their spacecraft. At NASA in Houston, his assignments included a spacesuit umbilical and a chest pack that supplied emergency oxygen. The umbilical connects the suit to the spacecraft's oxygen supply. If that connection fails, a chest pack reserve can give an astronaut a way back to the cabin.

At twelve, Barker organized a youth baseball league. He later joined the Army and put himself through college. At Prairie View A&M, he studied mechanical engineering and met his future wife, Richardine Leola Moore. They married in 1959 and raised their family.

When Barker was passed over for promotion at NASA, he assembled documentation supporting his eligibility. He made his case and advanced to GS-12, a federal civil service grade. Other Black colleagues were promoted in the months that followed.

His later career took him to Atlanta, where he worked in systems analysis at IBM and subsequently as a consultant. On December 3, 1988, he was ordained a Catholic deacon. He served at St. Anthony of Padua and St. John the Evangelist churches. He died on October 31, 2024, at 88.

Barker's son Derrick Barker became a successful international pilot. His grandson Derrick Barker Jr. became a successful real estate developer and founded Nectar, a fintech company helping fund affordable housing development across America. Barker's accomplishments gave both men a reason to shoot for the moon. He had raised the bar for his family, and his son and grandson carried that ambition into their own careers.

His son, Joe Barker II, credited his father with shaping his Catholic faith and his own work serving others. His father's career in engineering and his service as a deacon had taught him why representation mattered. He wanted others in his community to feel the same confidence his father's example had given him: "Because I saw him do everything, I always felt I could do anything."