Remembering George Barber Jr.: A legacy in motorsports and philanthropy

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George Barber
George Barber Jr. (Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum)
Barber Motorsports Museum
George Barber Jr. (Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum / Facebook)

George Barber Jr., local businessman, real estate developer, philanthropist and founder of Barber Motorsports Park, has passed away.

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum announced his death Monday evening.

Barber, who was born in 1940, owned Barber Dairies from 1970 to 1998. He is best known for establishing the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Barber Motorsports Park, which is home to the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix

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Alabama Grand Prix – Radical Cup (Bham Now)

The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is also recognized as the largest motorcycle museum in the world by the Guiness World Records.

According to Business Alabama, which awarded Barber their lifetime achievement award in 2025, he supported many local Birmingham causes, including UAB, Birmingham Museum of Art, McWane Science Center and the Nature Conservancy, among others.

Barber also served on the Forever Wild Board of Trustees and was named Alabama Wildlife Federation’s Conservationist of the Year.

Want to learn more about George Barber and his life, checkout the Alabama Public Television documentary about his life below:

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Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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