Obituary
Allen David Barry was born March 9, 1944, in Fullerton, CA, the son of Ray Lorentzen Barry and Esther Elizabeth Mathews. He had two sisters, Dorothy and Diana, and one brother, Robert. David was raised in Southern California and attended UCLA, where he began his freshman year aspiring to be a basketball player. He thought he was a fairly good player as a freshman until a new boy named Lew Alcindor joined the team his sophomore year. Realizing his chances of being a star “Bruin” were eclipsed by the arrival of Lew (known today as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who dominated the court, David switched his attention to studying economics. However, already fluent in French after spending a year in Switzerland, his love for literature and language ultimately won out, and he decided to pursue a Ph.D. in French literature from UCLA.
The job search was difficult, but he interviewed seriously with two universities to teach French literature: one in New York City and one in Lafayette, LA. He chose the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) in Lafayette because it was more affordable than New York. He moved there with his wife, Diana, and his two daughters, Nicole and Giselle, and never left. At USL, he played an integral role in starting a unique Francophone Studies doctoral program, the first in the nation and the third in the world. In 1984, he collaborated with Father Jules Daigle on A Dictionary of the Cajun Language. He worked his way up from professor to department head, eventually serving as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts until his retirement. While he was dean, over twenty endowed professorships and three million-dollar endowed chairs were funded, alongside the creation of Ph.D. programs in Francophone Studies, Applied Language and Speech, and Cognitive Science.
David enjoyed UL sports, especially basketball, football, and softball. Tailgating with friends and attending games were among the things he cherished most. He also had a deep love for Francophone and Creole music, often spending time watching local performances, and thoroughly enjoyed his time at Vermilionville (BVD. His enthusiasm for UL, his varied interests, and his love of traveling led to a full and enjoyable retirement.
He will always be remembered for his kind and gentle spirit, and for his generosity to those less fortunate. He is survived by his wife, Cindy; his four children: Nicole Benziger and her husband Keith, Giselle Barry, Lauren Naquin and her husband Chris, and Travis Barry and his wife Alexa; and his beloved grandchildren: Maya Benziger (husband Lukasz Benzikowski), Zachary Benziger (fiancée Susan Nelson), Danika Benziger, Alyce Naquin, Noah Naquin, Thomas Naquin, and Caleb Barry.
David will always be remembered by colleagues and friends for his brilliant mind, his generosity, humor, kindness, and for the motto he created for his son’s eleven-year-old basketball team: “Smoke 'em if you’ve got 'em!!”
Funeral services will be held at Asbury United Methodist Church at 10 am Monday, June 22, 2026.