Gene and Connie Barnes
by AAH Shelley Muzny
Gene and Connie Barnes may not have graduated from Hennessey High School, but they have made a significant impact on the school system and the community. Gene was raised in Garber, Oklahoma, by his parents, David and Edna Barnes. He graduated from Garber High School in 1967 and went on to attend the University of Oklahoma and Panhandle State University, where he played football.
Connie was raised in Lahoma by her parents, Vernon and Wynona Kuhnemund. She graduated from Lahoma High School in 1968 and attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) after graduation. Gene and Connie married in 1972, and while Connie taught in Yarbrough, Gene completed his education.
After two years of teaching in Texas, the couple moved to Hennessey in 1975. Connie first taught at Dover for four years before joining the Hennessey school system. At Hennessey, she taught high school for one semester before moving to middle school, where she taught 7th and 8th-grade American History, Geography, and Current Events. Connie also coached middle school girls’ basketball for a year, facilitated quiz bowl, and managed the middle school webpage.
Gene coached football and baseball before transitioning to teach elementary PE and science classes in high school. He later became the athletic director and worked in alternative education during evenings. Gene retired in 2012 but continues to work part-time in farming. Connie retired in 2009, and she has since been actively involved in teaching Sunday School at The First Christian Church in Hennessey for Pre-K and Kindergarten children. She started the Back to School Bash in 2010 and continues to contribute to this event each year. Additionally, Connie volunteers her time to help with the Teacher Back to School Luncheon annually and coordinates blood drives in Hennessey for the Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI).
Both Gene and Connie are active members of the First Christian Church in Hennessey. They have two children: Brady and Brett. Brady graduated from Hennessey High School in 1995 and has served as the Principal at Hennessey; he is currently the Superintendent at Blanchard. He and his wife, Cara, have three children: Cameron (24), Cassidy (18), and Callen (14). Cameron works for Damian Hugaboom at Hennessey Metal Buildings. Brett graduated from Hennessey High School in 1997 and has been the principal at Chisholm Middle School for several years. He and his late wife, Amy, have two children: Brylee (18) and Brayson (15).
In 2018, following the death of Connie’s mother, they moved to Enid to be closer to the farmland Connie inherited in Lahoma. Connie and Gene are now actively involved in farming alongside Brett. The family has taken many trips together, both before and after retirement, and Gene and Connie have visited nearly all 50 states. Both are cancer survivors and are doing well. The most important aspect of their lives now is attending their grandchildren’s activities. photos provided
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