Harold Barton - Director & Corporate Secretary
Harold was born and raised in a small farming community in Oregon, and later went on to attend Oregon State University majoring in Electrical Engineering. After getting his BS in Engineering he was hired into an electrical contracting firm, where, for the last 13 years, he has designed industrial controls for companies located around the world. Harold has been a director on boards of local nonprofits and has performed volunteer work for many others. He currently lives with his wife, Joan, in Eugene, Oregon, where they have resided for the last 14 years. Harold and Joan share a passion for ruins of ancient cultures, and as a result have made several trips to third world countries throughout Latin and South America. In February of 2004, Harold and Joan took a trip to Tanzania where they met Geoff Fox and got to know the people of Mufindi. Harold still spends much of his spare time doing volunteer work in his community and occasionally sneaks in a round of golf.
Bob was born and raised in Massachusetts. He served in the U.S. Marines during the Korean War and then graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a BS in Forest Management & Engineering. Bob then worked as an Estates Superintendent for Firestone Plantations Company in Liberia. He met Mary India Beach in Liberia and the two were married in May 1966. He then earned a Master's Degree from Yale School of Forestry. Upon graduation in 1968, Bob and family left for the West Coast to join Weyerhaeuser Company as a Management Trainee. He and family were then sent to the Far East where he managed Weyerhaeuser subsidiary companies in Indonesia and Malaysia. His last position with Weyerhaeuser was Woodlands Manager for the Willamette Region. Bob left Weyerhaeuser in 1982 to form an international consulting company. He then spent 20 years working on six continents. Mary and his three children accompanied their Dad to many work locations including a job in Mufindi, Tanzania where he supervised final construction and startup operations for the Southern Paper Mill. The family lived in Mufindi for six years. Bob is now retired and living in the Mohawk Valley of Springfield, OR. He divides his time between community service work, fund-raising for charities, and traveling to be with grandchildren.
Geoff was born on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park in Tavistock, Devon in SW England. His father being in the British Forces, Geoff was raised in India, Uganda, and the UK. After school and national service in the Royal Marines, he immigrated to Tanzania where he worked for 28 years as a Tea Planter with the Brooke Bond Company. Geoff and wife Vicky's four sons were all born and raised in Mufindi. In 1987, Geoff retired from Tea Planting and took over management of Mkawja Ranch (149,000 acres) in Pangani District of Tanzania. While at Mkwaja, Geoff and Vicky supported their sons in the development of a farm in Mufindi. He retired permanently in 1995 and now lives on the family farm in Mufindi.
Geoff has always been active in Tanzania's wildlife management and social development. In 1984 he founded the Friends of Ruaha Society which played a crucial role in the survival of the Ruaha National Park during the economic collapse following the Tanzanian Government's dalliance in socialist ideals. Geoff then promoted a hunting ban at Mkwaja and the creation of a government anti-poaching force. The Tanzanian Government followed this example by legislating a District-wide hunting ban. This ban still protects a unique ecosystem inhabited by Roosevelt's Sable antelope which is reputed to be the rarest antelope in the World. The protected area also contains the last population of elephants found along Tanzania's Indian Ocean shore line. Geoff also established Tanzania's first Green Turtle hatchery near the city of Tanga. His dream to preserve the Mkwaja ecosystem for posterity has recently been achieved with the help of his son Bruce. The Mkwaja Area has now been designated as Tanzania's newest National Park.
Julius was born and raised in Mufindi District. He worked for several Tea Estates until eventually joining Brooke Bond as an Estates Superintendent under Geoff Fox. Julius left Brooke Bond to join the Fox Enterprises in 1987 and has now worked with Geoff for more than 40 years. His latest job was to construct and manage a small orphanage in Igoda village financed and supported by the Foxes. Julius and wife have 14 children. The second eldest child trained as a nurse in Italy and is slated to take over the supervision of the orphanages created in Igoda village. Julius is a well respected elder of the Wahehe people who make up 89% of Mufindi's population. His role in the Project will be to oversee the construction and maintenance of the Mufindi Orphanage .
George was born in California and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He has resided in Eugene, OR for the past 33 years. George graduated from the University of Oregon with a BS in Business Management. He has deep roots in Oregon and is a third generation lumberman. Over the last 100 years his father and grandfather owned and operated wood products manufacturing firms in Western Oregon. George, himself, has worked in the wood products industry for well over two decades and is currently a managing partner of Wood Tech Services, which sells engineered forest products to customers in the USA and abroad. In early 2004, George made a trip to Africa with friends and became acquainted with Mufindi and the local people. George has two lovely daughters and spends his free time with family, tennis, fishing, and community service.