Obituary: Kay H. Barney

Kay H. Barney, RIP. Kay Barney founded ICSA, originally called “American Family Foundation,” in 1979. We are sad to report that Kay passed away on August 12, 2023 in Bedford, Massachusetts, a few weeks short of his 97th birthday. Kay was a Raytheon executive in the mid-1970s when his daughter became involved in the Unification Church. After persuading her to leave the alienating and destructive organization—she has since thrived—he was moved by the 1978 Jonestown disaster to pay for a large ad in the New York Times alerting Americans to the dangers of groups that closely control and exploit recruits. In 1979 he founded American Family Foundation (AFF – renamed International Cultic Studies Association in 2004) and created The Advisor, a newspaper that reported on cult-related activity in the U.S. and worldwide. In 1981, Kay joined with Drs. John Clark, Michael Langone, and Robert Schecter—who was already working to educate professionals about the problem and counseling cult leavers and their families—to provide AFF the professional standing and legitimacy in what had become a controversial field. Satisfied that AFF was now in good hands with Clark and his associates, Kay let others become president but remained on the AFF board for a number of years. When he retired from Raytheon in the 1990s, Kay founded another nonprofit, the American Medical Resources Foundation, which has sent over $200 million of used but refurbished medical equipment, as well as technicians/trainers, to poor countries. Kay was also an avid composer of music during this retirement. He leaves behind his wife Marian, four children, nine grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.