Who is Barry Price from Lucifer's Hammer and what is their importance?

Barry Price is the project manager at the San Joaquin Nuclear project. Barry holds onto the power plant after the comet strike, though he and his men work around the clock to do so. When someone asks whether he plans to remain and fight for the continued operation of what is likely the last source of electricity in the area, Price says that he's already decided to do so when he remained at the plant rather than going to try to find his girlfriend who was expecting his child.