Eugene C. Barker, one of the most influential historians to teach at the University of Texas, has been described as a granite monolith,
half sabre-toothed tiger and half St. Francis of Assisi, with a mind like a surgeon’s scalpel. The late William C. Pool, Barker’s former student, presents a vivid portrait of Barker from knowledge-hungry youth to administrator, professor, leader, author, and historian.