1974 article about Barr's dad suggests the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

[EleanorR]

Barr's father resigned abruptly as headmaster of the Dalton School in 1974. It appears he didn't care for the Dalton board of trustees interfering in any way with his running of the school.

The source of conflict between the strong‐minded Mr. Barr and his 20‐member board seemed to center on the question of where the board's authority should yield to the headmaster's judgment. There was apparently no one incident that prompted the resignation, but the confrontation was exacerbated by financial pressures that have forced the school to set priorities.

--SNIP--

Ironically, the present board of trustees includes many parents who rose to Mr. Barr's defense when a faction of the former board and some of the parents sought his ouster in 1971. He was accused then of turning a “humanistic, progressive” school into one in which “discipline and authoritarian rule” were the hallmarks.

https://www.nytimes.com/1974/02/20/archives/barr-quits-dalton-school-post-charging-trustees-interference.html

[dhol82]

1. That must have been around the time he hired Epstein to teach there.

Probably hired him for cheap.

[EleanorR]

2. Barr hired Epstein in 1973

It's clear Donald Barr was an authoritarian who chose to resign rather than submit to any "interference" from the board. Maybe Bill has daddy issues and is trying to fulfill his dad's dream of unchecked power via trump.