Barclay DuPriest
On a busy spring Friday at Randolph-Macon College, students bustle in and out of Brock Commons, nearly all of them pausing at the same spot. “Hi, Ms. Barclay,” they say.
Near the entrance to the campus store, Barclay DuPriest sits in her usual spot. Elegantly dressed in Randolph-Macon black and yellow, she acknowledges each student with a wave, a word of encouragement or a quick check-in.
In the last 40 years as campus store manager, DuPriest has become a local icon. She’s served under four college presidents, seen campus enrollment grow by 80%, and adapted as computers replaced manual cash registers and textbooks moved online. Through all the changes, her commitment to students has remained steadfast.
Now 79, DuPriest says her mobility isn’t what it used to be and it’s time to retire. On May 24, she’ll walk alongside the senior class at graduation and receive an honorary doctorate from the college she loves so much.
Randolph-Macon senior Bryce Scott and DuPriest at the campus store
A graduating senior, Bryce Scott, stops by the campus store to receive the honor cord for his cap and gown. He stoops down to give DuPriest a hug, and she kisses him on the cheek. “I’ve known Ms. Barclay since my freshman year,” Scott says. As a brand-new basketball player 300 miles from his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, he found comfort in seeing DuPriest each day. “She’s known as the campus mom because she takes care of everybody,” he says.
“I thought it was because I give everyone unsolicited advice,” DuPriest adds with a laugh.
DuPriest’s connection to RMC runs deep. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg two years before the Ashland campus began admitting women in 1971. Her husband, Rob, is a Randolph-Macon alumnus.In the ’80s, at age 38 and with two sons, DuPriest applied for the store manager position, drawn to the free tuition benefit for children of employees. Her older son, Rand, attended Hampden-Sydney, and a few years later, her younger son, Tad, enrolled at RMC, where he joined the football and baseball teams.
But the summer of 1992 brought unimaginable loss. While working as a camp counselor following his freshman year, Tad was killed in a car accident.
During their time of immense grief, the DuPriests received an outpouring of support from the student body and the greater community. Thousands attended Tad’s graveside service, and Randolph-Macon retired his baseball and football jerseys. His football jersey — number 93 — still hangs above the checkout counter in the campus store, a quiet reminder of love and loss.
“This college is what has held us all together,” DuPriest says. “I’ve had 40 years of people taking care of me.”
In turn, she has made it her mission to care for everyone she encounters, building lasting relationships while selling merchandise. She can recall names, faces and stories with remarkable ease. “I bet she remembers all 15,000 alumni and their parents,” says Beth Campbell, the college’s vice president for marketing and communications.
DuPriest shares a moment with Randolph-Macon student Peighton Miller.
Terrae McCann, assistant director for well-being and belonging at RMC, says he could tell how special DuPriest was the first day he stepped foot on campus for a job interview. “She’s the heart of campus,” he says.
DuPriest refers to all the students she’s known since 1985 as her children. Over the years, she’s delighted in watching multiple generations pass through the halls. She’s even celebrated with 80 or so former students whose own children have graduated from RMC. “Now I have grandchildren,” she says. “Nothing makes me happier than getting to know each student and watching them grow and mature by the end of senior year.”
She says part of Randolph-Macon’s magic is its size, with a close-knit staff, faculty and administration who care deeply for their students. “From professors to the grounds crew, we’re all just proud to be part of this special place,” she says.
After half a lifetime, stepping away won’t be easy. “When you’ve spent 40 years being happy to come to work every day, it’s going to be hard to give up,” she says.
But in retirement, DuPriest won’t be far. She and her husband live just a few minutes from campus, and she looks forward to attending the concerts, lectures and sporting events she wasn’t always able to get to during store hours.
While she’ll no longer be in Brock Commons to greet students each day, DuPriest’s impact will be felt across campus by the thousands she’s known and those she will never meet but will help all the same. In her honor, Randolph-Macon has established the Barclay Finish Line Fund for students facing unexpected financial hardship.
“There will never be a student who won’t graduate from Randolph-Macon College because of a death in the family or financial woes,” DuPriest says. “This will be funded long after I’m gone. I can’t think of a better tribute than that.”
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