Barry Family is Tied to Wyoming

Many people fall in love with the University of Wyoming, and many fall in love with their future spouse while they are students there. It happened for Kurt Barry and Christi (Cram) Barry, thanks to coed intramural basketball. Now these two UW grads are successful professionals and the parents of two children, one of whom is currently attending UW.

Neither Barry is a Wyoming native, so their meeting was not inevitable. Christi grew up in Iowa with a love for the mountains and desire to be a geologist. She knew UW was where she wanted to study, so it was the only school to which she applied. She graduated in 1988 with her B.S. in geology after studying, working as a resident assistant and playing intramural sports. Following graduation, she attended graduate school at University of Nevada, Las Vegas , earning her M.S. in geology in 1991. She was employed by SAIC in Las Vegas as a project manager for the Yucca Mountain project, the nation’s proposed high-level nuclear waste site.

Kurt grew up in Scottsbluff, Neb., and set out to pursue a career in pharmacy. He graduated in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and started his career working for other UW alumni in Las Vegas in the home infusion business. He then worked for Walmart pharmacies as a district manager, which relocated them to Colorado. Kurt then went into the pharmaceutical sales and marketing industry, where he held multiple senior-level positions.

Through the initial move to Colorado, Christi was able to continue with SAIC as an environmental consultant in Colorado Springs, but soon that office closed. That’s when she turned to her Plan B: teaching piano lessons.

Christi grew up performing and competing as a pianist. She’s been able to teach lessons even while Kurt’s career has taken them to Minnesota and Pennsylvania. They returned to Colorado 14 years ago. He is a pharmacist at UCHealth in Colorado Springs. He also volunteers with the Mountain Safety Patrol at Copper Mountain, as a park ranger with the U.S. Forest Service and as a pharmacist at a free clinic for the indigent and uninsured.

The Barrys’ oldest child, Kelcey, is continuing the UW legacy. She’s an elementary education major with an endorsement to teach ESL. Her extracurricular life includes playing tenor saxophone in the Western Thunder Marching Band. Christi says that experience has been priceless and has taken Kelcey on trips around the country and even Ireland.

The youngest Barry, Cameron, is a sophomore at Purdue studying aeronautical engineering. Christi says the family agrees that UW is “a phenomenal university that offers everything a large school would offer but is personable and comfortable.”

Kurt and Christi have been active with UWAA and have recently started a local chapter in Colorado Springs. They have also been longtime supporters of the Cowboy Joe Club and football season ticket holders. Despite having lived in every time zone, “We’ve never lost our Wyoming ties,” she says.