Wayne Bartee Obituary

Wayne Clark Bartee, retired MSU history professor, died March 28, 2025. He was the son of J.C. and Thelma Bartee. He was born January 11, 1936, in Springfield. He attended public schools, graduating from Central High and MSU with honors. He attended Columbia University in New York City on a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, earning a M.A. and a PhD. Degree in history. In New York City in a church, he met and married Alice Fleetwood of Thomasville, GA, his wife of 47 years who died in 2010.
Bartee is survived by a brother, Dr. Neale K. Bartee (Elaine), two sons, Clark (Odette), and Fleetwood (Kathryn) and two granddaughters, Shields and Sierra. After serving as an officer in the U.S. Army and a year of additional study at the University of Bonn in Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, he joined the faculty of Oklahoma Baptist University. Then in 1967 he returned to MSU, his alma mater, where he taught 41 years, 1967-2008. During that time he served 15 years as head of the Department of History. He researched and wrote several books and articles but especially loved teaching and interacting with students. Alice also joined the MSU faculty, teaching political science.
Bartee was active in church and community affairs. He was a deacon and Sunday School teacher and for three terms moderator of his church, University Heights Baptist. He represented Springfield on the Missouri Council for the Humanities. He enjoyed local history, serving as president of the Greene County Historical Society and at various times on the boards of the History Museum, the Historical Society and the Wilson's Creek Foundation. He was secretary for years for the Greene County Democratic Central Committee. He regularly supported human rights and environmental causes. He was very much a family man and loved watching his granddaughters growing up.
A "Celebration of Life" service will be held at University Heights Baptist Church. You can visit www.gormanscharpf.com for service dates and time or to leave an online condolence. In lieu of flowers donations may be given to the Legacy Fund of the Church or to the Bartee History Scholarship at MSU.