BAKER, Jeffrey D. 1941-1999

BAKER, WATSON, BURK

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 10/16/2010 at 12:11:45

Decorah Journal, Thursday, April 1, 1999

Jeffrey D. Baker

Jeffrey D. Baker, president of Luther College in DECORAH, died Monday, March 22, 1999, at his home in Cambria, Calif., from complications of cancer.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 6, at 1 p.m. in the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy with interment in the Air Force Academy Cemetery. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 14, at 10 a.m. in the Center for Faith and Life at LUTHER COLLEGE. A memorial service will also be held at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., on Tuesday, April 20; the time and location of this service will be announced at a later date.

Born Nov. 23, 1941, in Sacramento, Calif., Jeff spent his childhood and teen years with his family in that city. His father, Floyd Baker, was a wholesale grocery salesman; his mother, Bernice, was a homemaker and a state employee. A younger brother, Steven, completed the Baker family.

After high school, Jeff received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., from which he received a bachelor of science degree in international affairs in 1964.

On Dec. 27, 1964, Jeff was united in marriage with his lifelong partner, Shirley Watson, in Colorado Springs; it was this union which Jeff relied on and credited for his success. The couple was blessed with three children: Christine, born Jan. 24, 1966; Craig, born Feb. 26, 1969; and Christopher, born Aug. 8, 1973.

Jeff served as a U.S. Air Force pilot and instructor pilot from 1964-70. He completed his pilot training at Reese Air Force Base (AFB), Lubbock, Texas; he served in the Military Airlift Command at McGuire AFB, New Jersey, and McChord AFB, Tacoma, Wash. He flew T-38 Talon trainers, C-135s, and C-141 Starlifters; he also flew Caribou aircraft during a tour of duty in Vietnam.

The two career paths in Jeff's life were the military and higher education; in 1970-71 he took time out from the former to pursue the latter, earning a master's degree in business administration, with emphasis on management and labor relations, from Arizona State University, Tempe, in 1971.

From 1972-74 and 1976-80, Jeff was a member of the Air Force Academy faculty, serving on the staff of the department of economics, business, and geography as an instructor, assistant professor, deputy for research, and deputy for economics.

During 1974-76, the Baker family lived in Durham, N.C., while Jeff studied in a doctoral program in economics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He obtained a doctorate in labor economics and public finance from the university in 1979.

Jeff studied at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, D.C., in 1980-81 and then served as the air attache' with the American Embassy in Rangoon, Burma, from 1981-83. In 1983 the Bakers returned to Washington, D.C., where Jeff was assistant dean for graduate programs and continuing education at the Defense Intelligence College.

In 1984 Jeff ended his 21-year military career, retiring from the Air Force with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He then joined the economics and business faculty of Carroll College, Helena, Mont., and taught there until 1987, when he was named, associate director and associate professor at the University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce in Lexington. The Bakers returned to Helena and Carroll College in 1988 when Jeff was appointed vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, a position which he held until 1993.

Jeff was appointed commissioner of higher education for the Montana university system in 1993. In that capacity he served as the chief executive officer of six four-year institutions and five colleges of technology. He also directed the Montana Higher Education Student Assistance Corp. and the Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program.

In the summer of 1996, the Bakers moved to DECORAH, where Jeff began his term as the eighth president of Luther College on July 1.

Diagnosed with lung cancer in June 1998, he stepped down from the presidency March 19, 1999, due to declining health. On March 20, Jeff and Shirley Baker moved from DECORAH to their home in Cambria.

Jeff Baker served his country well - his military career was replete with honors and achievements as he was promoted through the ranks — but he found his calling in educating young people, and he followed his heart in choosing a career path in higher education. Facing challenges with boundless energy and enthusiasm, Jeff exuded confidence, and he generated excitement. He had a tremendous appetite for work, and he cherished direct involvement with people of all ages in projects of all types. Jeff displayed appreciation and affection for those who worked with him; his genuine concern for the well-being of others was evident in his every interaction, and the courageous example he provided in his fight against cancer was just part of the good life he led.

A voracious reader, Jeff took pleasure in pursuing that avocation in both its personal and work applications. He also enjoyed golf for the relaxing camaraderie he found on the course.

Proud of his accomplishments in restructuring the university system in Montana, Jeff was gratified in helping save taxpayers millions of dollars in financing ,the future of public higher education in that state. At LUTHER COLLEGE he directed his efforts toward private higher education, and there, too, it was helping prepare for the financial future of the institution that brought him satisfaction.

But Jeff's legacy in Montana and Iowa, and all of the stops along his life's journey, will not just be one of professional competence; it will also be a profoundly persona] legacy - a legacy of an open and accessible man whose smile radiated warmth and humor, a man who put his sharp mind and good heart to work for the young people he loved so dearly, a man who cherished his wife and children, a man who faithfully executed his duties to his family, his profession, his country, and, most importantly, his God.

Jeff Baker is survived by his wife, Shirley (Watson) Baker of Cambria, Calif.; a daughter, Christine Baker of Yagoshima, Japan, and her husband, John Burk; two sons, Craig of Long Beach, Calif. and Christopher of Seattle, Washington; a brother, Dr. Steven Baker of Pacific Grove, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.