Stonie Barker Jr., a high-ranking coal executive in Lexington during the 1970s and '80s, died Tuesday at his home in Naples, Fla. He was 85.
Born in Chapmanville, W.Va., Mr. Barker worked his way up through the mining industry and eventually led Island Creek Coal Co., one of the largest coal companies in the United States at the time.
One of 11 children of a miner and farmer, Barker entered Island Creek’s management training program in 1951, after receiving a mining engineering degree from Virginia Tech and after holding a series of engineering and management positions, he was named president and later chief executive of Island Creek during the early 1970s.
During his more than 30-year career with Island Creek, Mr. Barker also was chairman of the National Coal Association and Bituminous Coal Operators' Association and served on the Board of Directors of the WVCA.