Kenneth Neil Barker, Ph. D. of Auburn, AL passed away on August 27, 2017 at the age of 80, following a lengthy illness. Ken was born in Spring Valley, Ohio and moved to Sarasota, FL with his family in 1944, where he met Louise "Weze" Ferguson when they both were working at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. He and Weze were married in 1957 and were together for over 60 years. Kens lifelong career was dedicated to the study of medication errors, which led to the development of unit-dose dispensing, currently in use by over 90% of hospitals, and the direct observation method for detecting medication errors, which was adopted by the federal agency HCFA in all 50 states. Upon receiving his Ph. D. at the University of Mississippi in 1971, Ken moved his family to Rockville, MD so that Ken could work at the US Pharmacopeia, then in 1972, he accepted a position at Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, LA as a Pharmacy professor. In 1975, Ken and his family moved for the final time to Auburn, AL where Ken became a Pharmacy Care Systems Department Head. Ken was awarded the Harvey A.K. Whitney Award in 1981, the Remington Honor Medal in 1998 and he appeared with Diane Sawyer in 1994 on "Primetime Live" as an expert researcher on medication errors. In 2000, Ken was inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame. After his retirement from Auburn in 2009, Ken continued to receive awards and was inducted into the Alabama Pharmacy Hall of Fame in 2017. Ken is preceded in death by his beloved wife Louise, who died on August 3. He is survived by his children, Brad (Gwen), Linda Abernathy (John) and Doug (Rhonda), his grandchildren Katherine Vineyard, Cameron Barker and Jordan Barker, his brothers Roy (Eirlys) and John (Joan) and niece Emily and his sister, Marjorie Barat (Tom). Ken was preceded in death by his mother, Marjorie Smith Barker, and his father, Kenneth Clyde Barker, of Sarasota, FL. A memorial service will be held for Ken at First Presbyterian Church in Auburn, AL on Friday, September 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm. CDT. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army. A memorial service will be held for Ken at First Presbyterian Church in Auburn, AL on Friday, September 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm. CDT.