The Barry Freeman fellowship funds that are awarded are a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Freeman in memory of their son, Barry. Barry Freeman was a first year medical student at the Carver College of Medicine in 1972 following his graduation from the University of Iowa with a B.S. in Science earlier that year. On December 8, Barry was walking past a campus construction site in front of Hardin Library on his way to his Anatomy final exam when he was the victim of a fatal construction-related accident.

In the words of Mr. and Mrs. Freeman describing their son, “Barry crowded a lot of living in his 22 years. We feel now that it’s not how long a person lives but rather the type of life a person lives. Barry was able to touch a good many lives. We are sorry that we could not have had him to enjoy for a longer period of time, but we are thankful for the years, months, days and minutes that he was able to spend with us as well as others.”

In honor of Barry’s memory, his family chose to initially provide generous support to the mission of the College of Medicine through the purchase of furniture for the student lounge and the support of students doing summer research. Later they established a short-term loan fund that still provides emergency loans to students. Since 1981, they have provided nearly all of the funds to support the more than 200 students who have been selected for the Barry Freeman Fellowship Program for overseas medical experiences.

This scholarship has been developed to support students to become familiar with the cultural, social and health problems of an underserved area.