The Making of an Artist
Robert Barron is a born artist.
“I was born with the gift to create very realistic art,
whether it was a drawing, a disguise, or a prosthetic,” said Barron, a
certified clinical anaplastologist and retired CIA disguise specialist.
After completing a degree for commercial art at Southern Illinois
University in Carbondale,
Barron spent four years in the Marine Corps.
When he left the Marine Corps, he was offered a job at the Pentagon in
the office of the Chief of Naval Operations as the art director of Directions magazine, the Navy’s public
affairs quarterly.
After two years, Barron received a call from someone at the
Central Intelligence Agency. He agreed
to an interview and was hired to work in the graphic arts department.
Agency Days
During his time at the Agency, Barron participated in three
overseas assignments. His responsibility
was to work with a team to provide various traditional and advanced disguises
for officers in the area.
“The advanced disguises needed to be realistic enough to
pass close scrutiny and distract attention away from officers to protect their
lives,” Barron said. “Their lives were
in jeopardy if the disguise attracted attention.”
Every time he designed a disguise, Barron asked himself one
very important question: Would I feel safe wearing this? And if it passed Barron’s close scrutiny, he
would then feel comfortable enough to issue the disguise to an officer.
Barron found that he enjoyed his job at the Agency.
“It was challenging, and I like a good challenge,” he
said. “Every day at the Agency presented
a new challenge. The step-by-step
creation of the disguises was a challenge because I knew they had to pass close
scrutiny.”
“My work with disguises is what led me to where I am now,”
Barron said. “Each piece was unique and demanded creativity, just like the
prosthetics I design now.”
Barron is very grateful to all of the people he worked with
at the Agency and their contributions to safe, effective disguises.
“I give credit where credit is deserved,” Barron said. “I alone did not perfect the technology.”
From Disguises to Prosthetics
In 1983, Barron attended a conference held by the
Association of Biomedical Sculptors. He
was there to find out if the commercial world had any new materials to offer
for disguise creation. In addition to
discovering that the Agency was ahead of the commercial world in research,
Barron discovered something life-changing: his second career.
“I saw all these people who had become disfigured by cancer
and accidents and what prosthetics did for the quality of their life,” Barron
said. “I thought to myself, ‘Bob, if you
can change someone’s identity, you could certainly give back a disfigured
person’s identity by designing prosthetics.’”
- Robert Barron works on a prosthesis in his lab. Photo courtesy of Robert Barron.
When Barron retired in 1993, he was ready to get started in
his new lab. Barron began designing prosthetic
ears, eyes, noses, and full-face masks for burn patients. His business started to take off and he was
featured in newspapers across the country and on Oprah, Montel, and National
Geographic. He even made ears for a burn
survivor of the attack on the Pentagon.
Barron found that his prosthetics offered not only medical
benefits such as improved hearing and speech, but psychological benefits as
well.
“I was helping people return to society and become free from
the inquisitive stares and embarrassment they experienced from their
differences,” Barron said. “Some of my
patients have told me that they used to hide in their homes and were even close
to committing suicide before they found me.”
Many of Barron’s patients, especially younger children, have
undergone extensive reconstructive surgery to correct their disfigurement. Some have gone through so much surgery that
they have lost their faith in medicine.
“Reconstructive surgery does not work,” Barron said. “It always falls short of expectation.”
Barron spoke of one little girl who came in to get a
prosthetic ear and was too scared to let Barron take an impression.
“I think she had been through so much with other doctors
that she was afraid that I was going to hurt her,” Barron said.
Barron talked to the girl’s father and suggested that he
promise her a gift in return for sitting still for the impression. When the little girl returned, she sat still;
Barron took the impression without a problem.
“Afterwards, I asked the father what he had promised the
little girl…He said a pony,” Barron said.
When Barron reacted, the father replied, “Oh, don’t
worry. She’ll forget.”
“A couple weeks later, the father called back and said that
they had gotten the little girl a pony,” Barron said with a laugh.
Barron has found great satisfaction in his second career.
“There is nothing better than knowing that I’ve given back
someone their identity and quality of life with my work,” Barron said. “I could be working in Hollywood right now, but I wouldn’t get the
same satisfaction out of that job. My greatest reward is to see my patients
walk out whole again after I’ve given them their prosthesis.”
Many patients tell Barron that they don’t know how to begin
to thank him. He just smiles and says,
“You already have. Just look at that
smile. Your smile is thanks enough.”