Posted by Alan Felton on September 8, 2011:

I only met Don Barlow once, but I heard people at the Revenue Department talk about him all the time. He had been the assistant secretary for what was then called field operations during part of his time at Revenue. I was to hold that same position many years later and got to work with some of the same people who had worked with Don over the years. The story that was told over and over about Don was how he retired from the agency. My understanding is that he told almost no one about his decision and worked as if it were any other day on his last Friday at the agency. Then, over the weekend, Don cleared out his office and on Monday everyone realized he was retired. That really stuck with people. They admired how Don had left in such a low key way so as to not have attention directed on to him. He was humble that way and knew that the agency was about more than just one man. Don taught many people how to serve and how to lead during his time at Revenue. It's a legacy that still lives on in that place today.

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