RWC History Professor Lee Baker died December 8, 2009, at the age of 48, after a long battle with brain cancer. During the summer of 2007, RWC English Professor Sue Sipple co-led the study abroad trip to England with Professor Baker, her dear friend. Eighteen students had the opportunity to travel with them to England, the Czech Republic, and Poland, as well as the Auschwitz concentration camp. According to Sipple, the emotional experience was most beneficial and interesting due to Professor Baker’s extreme intelligence and passion for history.
RWC English Professor Mike Roos, who coordinates the annual British Study Abroad Program, agreed. “Lee was the perfect leader for the trip,” he said, “not only because of his far reaching knowledge of Eastern Europe and World War II, but also because he had the right combination of energy, self-discipline, and openness to new experience that made the students really look up to him.” Roos and Sipple both looked forward to doing many more study abroad trips with Professor Baker.
Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with brain cancer in March 2008. Baker was a military baby, born in Germany, but many knew he would consider Elkhart, Indiana, to be his home, and he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Ball State University in Muncie.
To those who knew him, Professor Baker was a brilliant man who accomplished many great things in his life. He joined the RWC History Department in 2002, and his colleagues were thrilled and pleased to work in his presence.
“[Lee] was a great friend who would make everyone very comfortable to be yourself around him in any situation,” Sipple explained. After he was diagnosed with an aggressive form cancer, Professor Baker continued to write and completed his book, “The Second World War on the Eastern Front,” which was recently published by Pearson Longman.
Family was extremely important to Professor Baker; he adored his wife, Pamela Baker, and their almost 3-year-old twins, Tuula and Elizabeth.
“He knew everything there is to know in his area of expertise,” Sipple said. “He always had a curiosity about the world and enjoyed reading to the extreme. He had a huge library at his house, but if he could spend hours at Half Price Books, he would.”
Professor Baker had other interests besides reading and spending hours at books stores. He learned how to scuba-dive and even started a War Game Club at RWC, due to his love for his collection of war games.
Professor Baker immensely influenced and encouraged many students, co-workers and friends on a daily basis. His passion and curiosity about the world gave him the ability to pass on his intelligence and touch people’s lives.
His wife, Pam, has decided to establish a Lee baker Study Abroad Scholarship Fund at Raymond Walters to support students in studying abroad. If you would like to contribute to the fund, you can make out a check to the University of Cincinnati and designate that it is for the Lee Baker Scholarship Fund, and forward it to Ginny Hizer in the RWC College Relations Office at the following address:
Ginny Hizer
Lee Baker Scholarship Fund
Raymond Walters College
9555 Plainfield Rd.
Cincinnati, Oh 45236
This scholarship fund is a way of honoring Professor Baker’s memory and enabling future RWC students to study abroad, allowing them to experience what Professor Baker devoted his heart and soul toward.
For information about RWC study abroad programs, visit their website at http://www.rwc.uc.edu/SAEC/index.html.