NSU Horizons Fall 2006

horizons 33 M y father, Howard F. Baker, Ed.D., was a member of Nova University’s first cluster in the state of Georgia. Despite both its track record for producing education leaders and its popularity, the university’s program was not recog- nized by state regulators at the time of his enrollment. By the time of his graduation in 1976, Dad and his classmates had successfully fought to get the program accepted by the certifi- cation department of the Georgia Department of Education. Dad passed away on July 31, 2006. My father was born in Savannah, Georgia. He attended public schools in Waynesboro and Valdosta, graduating from Valdosta High School. In 1940, he entered Emory Junior College in Valdosta. The following year, he began working with the U.S. Engineering Department at Moody Field, Georgia. In 1943, the year he married my mother, Mary, Dad entered the service and served with the 490th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force as a ball turret gunner on B-24 and B-17 aircraft. Dad spent 34 months in the U.S. Army Air Corps, 13 of which were spent with the Eighth Air Force in England. He flew 28 missions as a ball turret gunner and was awarded the Air Medal with three clusters, ETO Ribbon with six battle stars, and a Presidential Citation. Following his discharge from the service in 1945, Dad continued his education at Emory University in Atlanta. While at Emory, he was a member of Kappa Phi Kappa, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Alpha Phi Omega fraternities. He earned a number of degrees, including a bachelor of arts and a master of education from Emory University. He continued his academic career by earning an educational specialist from Georgia State University and a doctor of education in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dad spent the majority of his educational career with Georgia’s Henry County School System. He began his professional career as a teaching principal at Locust Grove School in 1949 and was later transferred to Stockbridge Junior High School as principal. In 1957, he was named prin- cipal of Henry County High School, where he served until 1965. He worked with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Educational Program Counselor for the Atlanta Employment Evaluation and Service Center from 1966 to 1968. In 1968, my father was elected to the first of three four-year terms as superintendent of the Henry County School System, from which he retired in 1980. When first elected, he defeated a three-term incumbent, only to discover that the system was deeply in debt by thousands of dollars. Through austerity measures, he guided the system back into the black and built up a financial reserve, which he left his successor in 1981. He also successfully guided the Henry County School System through desegregation during his term of office. While surrounding school systems experienced violence, Dad brought about peaceful desegregation in Henry County, creating a partnership among all the stakeholders. A consummate educator, my father wanted the best for students, teachers, and the community. He always gave 200 percent. I remember that once he became superinten- dent, he was in his office each morning before the first school bus left the transportation building and remained at the office until each bus returned in the afternoon. His work ethic paid off. During his tenure as superinten- dent, he overcame deficit financing, successfully changed from a dual to a unitary school system, improved teacher morale, re-established a rapport with the Georgia Department of Education, supported improvements in the Henry County Library System, and helped establish the Nova Southeastern University doctoral program in Georgia. remembering a champion of freedom, hero in education Howard F. Baker, Ed.D., Class of 1976 By Gordon N. Baker Continued on page 35