Richard (Dick) Whitten Barker was born in Chicago, IL on July 11, 1939 to V. Wayne and Cordelia Whitten Barker. Richard, his brother William and their parents moved to Mt. Lebanon while he was in grade school. He graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1958; then attended Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU). At CMU, Dick was actively involved in the student radio station WRCT. He eventually transferred to University of Pittsburgh where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
After graduation Dick spend 15 years working for Westinghouse Electric Organization. His next jobs included working in facilities management for the Presbyterian Association on Aging, Oakmont Presbyterian Home and Lock Haven Hospital. He was an active member of numerous professional organizations including Hospital Engineers of Southwestern Pennsylvania
Richard loved to help and mentor people. He was an active member of Big Brothers of America, spending as much time as possible mentoring and spending time with disadvantaged boys. His relationship with them was so close he was more like a father than a mentor. His passions also include genealogy. Richard traced both sides of his family back at least four generations. He enjoyed genealogy so much he would help his friends trace their history.
In honor of his parents Richard created the V. Wayne and Cordelia Whitten Barker Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation to help support organizations that they cared about including The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Richard also founded the Richard W. Barker Fund of The Pittsburgh foundation to continue his work for helping children.