Clint Barnhill was like James Dean and the Fonz; he was a gentleman to the core but he had a "reputation" to protect so not everyone knew this about him. He had a mischievous smile that made you wonder what he was up to but he never had a bad word to say about anyone. He loved old (and fast) cars, his family and he loved his friends. We knew Clint from ‘MYF’ (Methodist Youth Fellowship) and Lee High School and while some folks tried to be a little more refrained at church events, that wasn’t Clint’s style. He was completely comfortable in his own skin which was a rare thing during those high school years. His wild but gentle spirit is still missed by all who loved him. Anytime we hear the Beach Boys, we think of the “Doonboogies” and our Endless Summers and Clint – and we smile.
I loved Clint, too. He was injured bullriding in college, which led to his death. I remember visiting him in the hospital and being so impressed with his attitude and faith. I think of him often!
Thank you John (Stavinoha), the "father of this website" for figuring out how to upload these pictures of Clint. Clint and I met at T.H. Rogers and, almost immediately, became best friends. The Barnhills had a beach house on Bolivar Peninsula and most Friday's we'd pile in the car with Clint's parents (drove with the windows down to save gas) and play a game guessing how long the ferry line would be. In the fall and winter months we'd meet with several pals, including DeGraaf Adams and would duck and goose hunt before school on the Cinco Ranch. Clint was an active member of St. Luke's Methodist Church and it's youth program, MYF. He sang with great confidence MYF praise songs and was unashamedly a true believer in Jesus Christ. Somehow we both got into UT and Clint and I thought that being roommates our freshman year and being suite mates with two smart guys, Tommy Dawson and Jimmy Smith, was a pretty good idea. We both joined the same fraternity and lived in adjacent rooms in our fraternity house our sophomore year. Those two years were terrific and a blurr--especially academically. As the attached picture so vividly recalls, Clint was always a cowboy at heart and in the summer between our sophomore and junior years, Clint had a accident while riding a bull and died several months later. I had never experienced a death in my family or of a friend and Clint's death was an incredible wake up call for many who were close to him. I don't think much about the old days with Clint (so I guess this is pretty therapeutic) but do from time to time think about what Clint would be like now and what he'd be doing. I do know that he very much valued his Robert E. Lee High School experience and that he, for sure, would be at our reunion celebrating our wonderful history!
Diane Kuhn (Rager)
Clint Barnhill was like James Dean and the Fonz; he was a gentleman to the core but he had a "reputation" to protect so not everyone knew this about him. He had a mischievous smile that made you wonder what he was up to but he never had a bad word to say about anyone. He loved old (and fast) cars, his family and he loved his friends. We knew Clint from ‘MYF’ (Methodist Youth Fellowship) and Lee High School and while some folks tried to be a little more refrained at church events, that wasn’t Clint’s style. He was completely comfortable in his own skin which was a rare thing during those high school years. His wild but gentle spirit is still missed by all who loved him. Anytime we hear the Beach Boys, we think of the “Doonboogies” and our Endless Summers and Clint – and we smile.
Diane Kuhn Rager and Sharon Kuhn
Kathy Allen (Eason)
I loved Clint, too. He was injured bullriding in college, which led to his death. I remember visiting him in the hospital and being so impressed with his attitude and faith. I think of him often!
Stuart Ford
Thank you John (Stavinoha), the "father of this website" for figuring out how to upload these pictures of Clint. Clint and I met at T.H. Rogers and, almost immediately, became best friends. The Barnhills had a beach house on Bolivar Peninsula and most Friday's we'd pile in the car with Clint's parents (drove with the windows down to save gas) and play a game guessing how long the ferry line would be. In the fall and winter months we'd meet with several pals, including DeGraaf Adams and would duck and goose hunt before school on the Cinco Ranch. Clint was an active member of St. Luke's Methodist Church and it's youth program, MYF. He sang with great confidence MYF praise songs and was unashamedly a true believer in Jesus Christ. Somehow we both got into UT and Clint and I thought that being roommates our freshman year and being suite mates with two smart guys, Tommy Dawson and Jimmy Smith, was a pretty good idea. We both joined the same fraternity and lived in adjacent rooms in our fraternity house our sophomore year. Those two years were terrific and a blurr--especially academically. As the attached picture so vividly recalls, Clint was always a cowboy at heart and in the summer between our sophomore and junior years, Clint had a accident while riding a bull and died several months later. I had never experienced a death in my family or of a friend and Clint's death was an incredible wake up call for many who were close to him. I don't think much about the old days with Clint (so I guess this is pretty therapeutic) but do from time to time think about what Clint would be like now and what he'd be doing. I do know that he very much valued his Robert E. Lee High School experience and that he, for sure, would be at our reunion celebrating our wonderful history!
Larry Golemon
Wonderful tributes here to a great classmate (and character). Thank you all.
Kathy Batten
What great pictures of Clint. Thank you for sharing.