Clarence Lewis Barnhart Obituary

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Clarence Lewis Barnhart Obituary

[From the Times Union, Albany, NY, October 26, 1993]

CLARENCE L. BARNHART, 92
LEXICOGRAPHER

Clarence Lewis Barnhart, a lexicographer and editor of dictionaries, died Sunday at Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Peekskill. A longtime resident of Bronxville, Westchester County, he was 92 and lived in Garrison, Putnam County.

Barnhart fell five weeks ago and his injuries became complicated by an infection, his son David said.

Before he set out on his own in 1948, Barnhart worked at Random House, where he edited the original American College Dictionary of 1947. For nearly four years he rode herd on 132,000 entries for the 1,472-page volume.

He always had a keen interest in new words and new usage in the English language. For the last 11 years, he and his son edited the Barnhart Dictionary Companion, published quarterly by Springer-Verlag. The latest update he worked on will appear this fall.

Born near Plattsburg, Mo., Barnhart graduated from the University of Chicago, where he also did postgraduate work from 1934 to 1937. From 1929 until 1945 he was an editor at Scott, Foresman & Co., the Chicago textbook publisher.

Working with William Hasley, he also edited the three-volume New Century Cyclopedia of Names (Appleton, 1954).

More recently, he and his other son, Robert K., produced the The World Book Dictionary of 1986, a revision of The World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary first published in 1963 by Field Enterprises Educational Corp.

Barnhart headed his corporation until about 10 years ago. It is now operated by Robert as Barnhart Books in Brewster, Putnam County.

In addition to his sons, David, of Garrison, and Robert, of Brewster, Barnhart is survived by a sister, Melba Sims of Tulsa, Okla.; seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.