I often wondered how he steered to the left. (Some event in his family?) My wonder increased as a friend (now deceased) was an ardent Goldwater supporter in those early years, then over time shifted left as well, and grew into an out-and-out liberal.
Along with drifting left, Barry G. got curmudgeonly and mean. That was as big a departure, for he had been a man of generous spirit. Who knows why these things happen. Losing Peggy? Simply getting old and cranky? Drifting with the political tide, with no further reason or wish to resist the pressures to be politically correct? Nobody knows. I never stopped wishing him well, but I did stop listening to his opinions. They made me cringe too often.