Biography of Professor (Mrs) Anna Barnes
 
To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.  Ecclesiastes 3:14
 
Professor Mrs Anna Reynolds Barnes was known to family members, friends and associates as Ewurana was born on 17th March 1945 in Apam to Mr J.B. Abban (a Wesley college trained teacher who later trained and qualified as a pharmacist) and Mrs Doris Abban both of blessed memory, she was 5th of 10 children.
Ewurana started her early education at the Takoradi Methodist Primary School under the strict supervision of the Late J.T.Bedu-Addo under whom she and all her siblings passed. She showed a lot of drive, industry and hard work at that a tender age and delivered any assignment given her and always asked for more and greater responsibility both in school and at home.  Ewurana joined a number of clubs in school including Girl Guides and many other school activities and took up positions of responsibility, her leadership drive started right from the word go. It was no wonder that at the tender age of 12years whenever her parents had to travel, she took charge of the home and provided the needs of all including going to the market, cooking etc. Ewurana always had high commendations for the effort by her parents upon their return.
Ewurana became the favourite child in the family home, her father a strict former teacher, was very happy with her performance. This made all of Ewurana’s 8 male siblings very jealous as their father’s complaints was always about the boys, with Ewurana being praised all the time. It was in the light of this, that the boys always pushed Ewurana forward for any demand made on the parents. If a demand was made by Ewurana it was readily granted, whereas if it was coming from any of her brothers it had to be delayed and investigated before being granted.
Ewurana did not have a problem with the choice of secondary school to continue her education when she got to Standard Six. This was because two of her older siblings Grace Wilson and Ama Ata Aidoo had set the pace by entering Wesley Girls High School (WGHS) and already in senior classes. Ewurana did not have any problem passing well the National Common Entrance exams and got selected to WGHS.
Upon entering WGHS, she was among the last batch of students personally interviewed and accepted by the famous O.C (Olive Compton). It was a joy and a happy occasion to be admitted to this school which was made as if you were going to Oxford University. The family was very happy she was going to continue the disciplined culture instilled in her from primary school.
In secondary school it did not take long to settle in at WGHS, Waldron House and was made House Prefect along the way in her final year. As it had been the case with her from primary school, she joined several clubs in the school including athletics – being the High Jumper for her house Waldron and the school team. By hard work and perseverance, she was selected among the school team, that participated in athletic clinic held in Achimota School, for all secondary schools in Ghana.
For her discipline and hard work in school and in spite of her commitment towards extracurricular activities, she went through GCE O’level and passed very well to be selected to continue her studies in WGHS, she also passed  GCE A Level  excellently in 1965 to qualify to enter the University.
Based on her excellent A levels results in her last year of secondary school, she was admitted to the University of Ghana and was the only female among 11 male students to be admitted to the faculty of Agriculture to read BSc Agriculture. This was contrary to the plans her father had for her to be a medical doctor. Ewurana’s father being a pharmacist, expected his daughter to be a medical doctor and could not fathom that Ewurana had chosen a different course, and followed up by sending an uncle of hers to Accra to persuade her to change her mind.  Ewurana remained resolute and believed in the decision she had made to read Agriculture.  Despite his insistence her father later on  agreed for her to read Agriculture, as this was what made her happy, and her reason for not wanting to pursue medicine made sense,  because she was afraid of dead bodies of human beings. So great was her fear that one day at a funeral, she saw the laid in state body of her relative, she was filled with so much fear that she went to bed that night full of fright shouting in her dreams “Won Frefrem”  which in Fanti translates “Call me! Call me!” to assure her that she was still alive.
Ewurana graduated from University of Ghana with a BSc Agriculture Degree, majoring in Animal Science. Upon graduation she received scholarship to study at Cornell University in the USA where she obtained a MSc degree in Animal Science.
Ewurana returned home to Ghana from her studies and got married to her long-standing love of her life from her undergraduate days at University of Ghana, Mr Edwin Philp Daniels Barnes, who had also returned from his studies in Leeds University, where he went to pursue his Masters degree. They got married on 26thSeptember 1976 and were blessed with 5 children.
After moving back to Ghana, she lectured for many years at the University of Ghana, earning various levels of promotion along the way. Ewurana became an Associate Professor in the nineties, and through hardwork and zeal in a male dominated area, was elected as the Dean of Students of the faculty of Agriculture and briefly acted as Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana. Ewurana spent more than half of her life lecturing at the University of Ghana, Animal Science Department, where she retired in 2015.
Throughout her life, Ewurana not only developed and maintained cordial relationships, she always made sure to look out for her family, friends and even strangers. She was certainly the unifier in the family, making sure that all her siblings and extended family were ok and doing well. Ewurana helped a good number of people including children of friends, family, acquaintances, strangers to gain admission into University of Ghana to pursue various courses, and when she was not able to assist, she will try other possibilities through her network of friends and colleagues in other Universities.
Ewurana lived the life of a practicable Agriculturist with a backyard garden, involving the whole family with her beloved husband as the head and she being the technical adviser.  She encouraged and taught friends and family to do same. She a lot of the time gave out the produce as gifts to friends and strangers alike as long as there was a need.
 
Ewurana you were a pillar of strength to the whole family.  Your departure has created a vacuum in the family that cannot be easily filled. Our hearts are bleeding our eyes are heavy. You loved the truth and hated lies. You were full of goodness and compassion. You are gone but not forgotten…your memory will live on in our hearts forever.
You have earned your rest, rest peacefully in the arms of your maker until the resurrection.
Ewurana…..da yie!