UBTech Champion of Education Marcia Barber
Written by Lezlee Whiting
Marcia Barber served on the UBTech Board of Trustees as the Daggett County School District Board representative for 12 years from 2007 to 2019. During her service, she was instrumental in establishing the prison building trades program at the Daggett County Jail — a program that provided meaningful skills and new beginnings for many.
One of Marcia’s proudest accomplishments while on the Daggett County School Board was the construction of a new set of gymnasiums – the gyms served as a recreation center, and hosted high school athletic tournaments, bringing thousands of people into their small community and boosting the local economy.
But Marcia’s legacy began long before her board service. In the 1970s, she moved to Dutch John to marry Brian Barber, a forester and wildland firefighter. Together, they raised 6 children and now have 15 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
Barber spent her entire professional career at Dutch John Elementary, where she embodied the classic spirit of the rural one-room schoolteacher. She began by teaching Kindergarten through 3rd grade — all in a single classroom — after her intended job-share partner never arrived. Her willingness to simply “do whatever needed doing” became a hallmark of her career. Over the years, she taught grades 3–5, sometimes 6th, and even served as principal. Her versatility and dedication made her a foundational figure in the school and in the community.
After school – she taught piano. One former piano student by the name of Guy Collett said this about Marcia, “She loved me in spite of my complete lack of preparation and instilled my lifelong love of music.” Guy said even as a child, he saw how Marcia served without complaint, and always had a smile.
Barber’s gifts as a teacher were nurtured from childhood. She grew up in EskDale, an intentional community in Utah’s west desert that emphasized music and cooperative learning. From an early age, Barber practiced piano and violin for four hours each day — initially compelled by her teachers but later choosing the discipline wholeheartedly. Growing up in the school’s dormitory, she spent her youth helping care for younger children, especially during bouts of whooping cough and measles. Her mother was also a teacher, and Barber naturally followed in her footsteps.
Her summers were spent in Huntington Canyon, where her family operated a sawmill. With no electricity or running water, she filled her childhood days exploring the outdoors, taming squirrels, and riding Percheron horses bareback. This early love for nature became a defining part of her character. To this day, Barber delights in the wide array of beauty in nature — and she passed that joy on to her daughters. “She taught us to notice and appreciate simple beauty,” they recall. “She revels in nature.”
Marcia is at home in nature, even hiking the Appalachian Trail with granddaughter Kodi didn’t faze her, but roundabouts in Park City are another thing entirely! As Kodi shares, the first time her “gram” encountered a roundabout, they made “fifteen plus” circles while figuring out how to get out of there!
She is an enthusiastic traveler, a talented (if modest) quilter, and an unstoppable hiker whose motto is: “Move it or lose it!” Her expressions — “Oh my stars!” and “The mountains are calling!” — are family favorites.
Her grandchildren remember that if their grandpa teasingly called them “spoiled rotten,” she would always come to the rescue with: “You tell your Grandpa you’re spoiled SWEET!”
Marcia and Brian live up Dry Fork Canyon now, and years into retirement, they continue to stay very busy. She is part of a charity quilting group, making beautiful quilts, donated to different organizations, and quite a few go to the Hopi Nation. She also started a hiking club – which meets a few times a month while hiking!
Marcia Barber, awarded a 2026 UBTech Champion Award at the President’s Champions Gala, served 12 years on the UBTech Board of Trustees as the Daggett County School District representative. Her versatility and dedication made her a foundational figure in both the school and the community.
Pictured with her family, Marcia Barber accepts her 2026 UBTech Champion Award from UBTech President Aaron Weight (left) during the President’s Champions Gala.
