Longtime HR Director Joe Barron retires with 51 years of Kennywood memories

By: Mark Frazee | Content Manager - Pittsburgh HUB

Authentic. Hysterical. Welcoming. Sincere. Empathetic. Genuine. Energetic. Exuberant. Irreplaceable. Those are just a few of the words friends used to describe Joe Barron, Kennywood and Sandcastle's longtime Director of Human Resources, who's heading into a well-deserved retirement after an impressive 51 years. Today is his last day.

A lot could be said about Joe Barron. If you knew Joe, you know that he made sure each Team Member felt welcomed. He always took time to get to know you. And despite all the people he’s met, he still knows everyone’s name.  Joe made sure everyone that walked through the HR doors felt welcome by greeting them with the familiar “Hi, how are you,” “Hey Buddy,” or “What’s happenin’?” 

Ahead of Joe's last day, we sat down with our HR legend to reflect on all the memories over the years. Our conversation is below.

51 years is a long time! What kept you with Kennywood for so many years?

“The people. That’s the only reason I’m here all these years, all the incredible amount of friends I’ve made. My friend Russ – I was in his wedding, he was in my wedding – and we’re still friends today, and that was 50 years ago. So many great people – if you want a good place to go and meet people, it’s working at Kennywood and Sandcastle."

My wife Peg says we can never be in a witness protection program because someone always knows us, somewhere, because we were the first person they saw for Kennywood or Sandcastle. We hired them and did the orientations and all that, so it’s pretty wild.”

In your opinion, why is the role of HR Director so essential, and what have you done to make it your own?

"You can’t run the park without HR.  We provide the Team Members for the park to run. I’m not saying we’re more important, but we’re just as important as any other department. With HR, you have to genuinely like people. If you don’t, you’re not going to succeed. 

Even with all the Team Members we have, you try to find something about them – 'I’m in the band', or 'I met my fiancé at Kennywood' – and I think that’s what makes HR so interesting, because you’re always dealing with people every day. And it’s always something different each day, which also makes it interesting because you’re never doing the same thing. Some things we do [routinely], but most of all, you never know what a day is going to bring. Each day was different, and that made it very interesting."

Joe Barron delivers remarks several decades ago.

Take us through your Kennywood journey from 1972 to today.

"I started in ’72, in the Penny Arcade on nickel Skee-Ball. Ken Garrett and Dick Wood were my first supervisors. I was in games for about 4 years while I was going to Pitt, and then Ken Garrett said, 'Joe I want to make you a roving manager.' That had never been done in the Games Department before, and that’s where you would go to each game and give the regular manager the day off, because at that time you worked 7 days a week. You then got 1 day off - which was something big that we just started, because before that we all worked 7 days a week. 

I had the Bottle Game, Cat Rack, both Skee-Balls, Gunsmoke, and Big Apple with the darts. So I did that, and I went to teach in Murrysville, which I loved. And then Henny Henninger, who was the General Manager, called me up and said 'let’s meet at the Racquet Club in Monroeville.' I had no idea what he was going to talk to me about, because I was teaching. We really had not had a personnel office [at Kennywood] before, and he said 'I think we should have a personnel office.' So, that’s how I ended up in HR. January 1, 1988 is when I started. I stayed HR Director through the different general managers and through the sale to Palace Entertainment."

What are some of the greatest highlights from those 51 years?

“You know what I’m going to say – meeting my wife! Peg was the first female to work on Skee-Ball. I can still remember telling my buddy – who I’m also still friends with – saying, 'Rich, I think I’m going to marry her.' 

I think fighting the [Ghost Ship] fire was the other one. Here I am, I’m this young kid, we’re running down, ripping our shirts off, jumping in the Lagoon, putting our shirts over our heads as the embers are coming at us and hosing the Ghost Ship down. We might have saved the Racer!

The other thing is I’ve got to travel so many different places. I was the IAAPA [The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions] HR Chairman for 5 years. I went to Singapore and all over the United States. And in the amusement park industry, people are just special, I really like them. If nobody’s gone to an IAAPA convention, they should go 'cause it’s just fascinating. And then of course my kids worked here. There’s so many memories, all the great friends, and there are zillions of them, that I really, really like. Again, I couldn’t have asked for a better job. It was always different, every day."

Joe Barron, in the white shorts, helps to extinguish the Ghost Ship fire, June 1975.

What are you going to miss? What are you looking forward to?

"Well, I’m certainly going to miss all the people here, but I’m tired! It’s time for me to enjoy life with Peg and be with the kids a lot more than we have been. Way back when Peg and I were first married, we did not get a day off from Opening Day – which was the second weekend in April – all the way through July 4. We worked straight through – plus, I was teaching, which was nuts! I can’t believe that we did that, but we did. I’m looking forward to being with the kids, doing a lot of traveling, following the University of Pittsburgh, going to the football games and basketball games, and just relaxing. With a lot of sleep!

How do you want people to remember you at Kennywood? What do you think your legacy is?

"At Kennywood, we give a lot of people their first jobs. Hopefully, you serve an example – this is the Golden Rule! –  if you treat our Team Members well, they will treat you well, they will treat everybody with respect. Be interested in them, not because you have to be – because you are! I’m always interested in what’s happening. We have congressmen that have worked for us, councilmen, lawyers, doctors - we have so many different people that are successful, and their first job was Kennywood. 

As someone who's about to wrap up your professional career, what advice do you have for a younger person just starting their professional career, or maybe unsure of what they want to do?

“You have to like what you’re doing. If you don’t like what you're doing, you’ll be miserable. As long as you like what you’re doing, everything will work out. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be the most money - money’s nice, don’t get me wrong! -  but it has to be something you like doing. I think that’s the most important thing. Like what you're doing, treat everybody well, treat them like you would want to be treated. I think that’s the recipe for success.”

Joe, Kennywood won't be the same without you. We're going to miss you, but you've more than earned some rest and relaxation. And don't be a stranger! Operations Director Marie Ruby said to remind you that there's always seasonal jobs available. In all seriousness, take care, Joe. You've made such an impact on so many and you leave quite a legacy here at Kennywood and Sandcastle. Carpe Diem, Buddy!!!