James D. Barger was born May 17, 1917, in Bismarck, North Dakota, and spent his childhood in nearby Linton. His parents were Michael T. and Mary M. "Mayte" (Donahue) Barger. He graduated from Linton High School in 1934 and was active in track. Barger enrolled in St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota, but transferred to the University of North Dakota (UND) in 1935. He graduated from UND in 1939 with a B.A. from the College of Science, Literature and Arts, as well as a B.S. from the School of Medicine. While at UND, Barger lettered in track, was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and was active with the Newman Center. In 1941, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a doctorate in medicine.
Barger was an intern at Milwaukee County Hospital in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and began his studies at the Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1942. That same year, he joined the United States Medical Corps. Barger spent a portion of World War II in Bolivia as part of Servicio Cooperativo Interamericano de Salud Publica (SCISP) or Inter-American Cooperative Public Health Service. SCISP was a public health program that included vaccinations, training, and construction of medical facilities. He served in the Medical Corps until 1946, rising to the rank of major.
In 1949, Barger completed a pathology specialty from the Mayo Foundation. He moved to Arizona, where he worked as a pathologist and consultant to several hospitals. Barger became director of clinical pathology at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1964. Later, he served as a senior consultant in pathology for Laboratory Medicine Consultants in Las Vegas and was a clinical professor in the University of Nevada's Department of Medicine and Pathology. Barger was an active scholar, publishing more than 50 articles in medical journals and co-authoring several books. In 1975, the UND Alumni Association gave him its highest honor, the Sioux Award. In 1977, he was named Pathologist of the Year by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
Barger was a bibliophile who collected rare books on the history of medicine, especially for the discipline of pathology. He donated his collection of over 1,300 volumes to UND’s Harley E. French Library of the Health Sciences. The Barger Collection was a significant addition to the Henry D. Benwell History of Medicine Reading Room.
While in the service, Barger married Susie B. Helm, who died in 1951. He remarried in 1952 to Josephine Steiner, who died in 1971. In 1980, Barger married Jane Ray, whom he had known from his days at UND. She died in 1991. Barger had four children: James Jr., Mary Susan, Michael Thomas, and Mary Elizabeth. James D. Barger died April 3, 2003, in Las Vegas.
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