Baptist Health Paducah names auditorium stress lab for George L Barnes

A lone cypress tree stands on the Broadway side of Baptist Health Paducah, surrounded by buildings and pavement. Legend has it that hospital founders promised to never cut it down.

A lone cypress tree stands on the Broadway side of Baptist Health Paducah, surrounded by buildings and pavement. Legend has it that hospital founders promised to never cut it down.

The cypress tree belonged to the Barnes family, who lived on the same land a century ago. It was planted in 1918 to honor the birth of George L. Barnes. Barnes’ daughter, Sandy Bennett, dedicated a sign beside the tree in memory of her father, who died in 1985.  

Bennett, who lives in Graves County, has fond memories of her grandparents’ home, including her father teaching her to ride a bike along Broadway, pushing her in a swing tied to the tall oak trees and gathering for family fried chicken dinners

 Now, Barnes also has been memorialized inside the hospital. The auditorium in the Carson-Myre Heart Center has been named the Barnes Auditorium, and the stress lab named the George L. Barnes Stress Lab. 

“My father grew up on this land and now will be part of it forever,” Bennett said. “It is rewarding to know that his legacy will never die, and that the tree will always stand in his memory.”