Today, a few personal thoughts about our respected colleague and dear friend Don Baker, who died unexpectedly Sunday, March 19:
There's a makeshift memorial on Baker's desk this week -- a vase of flowers and a photograph of the rag-tag musical group he assembled among Deseret News employees. Fittingly, there is a freedom of information request atop his disheveled desk, along with a photograph of his wife and reams of papers, reports and government documents.Every memento speaks volumes about the man.
Baker was a journalist's journalist. He cherished the First Amendment and strived for openness in government. He worked with key state lawmakers to shepherd the Government Records Access and Management Act through the Utah Legislature. The law protects access by the public to government records within certain guidelines.
He mentored green reporters and taught the old hacks a thing or two about accessing documents and following a paper trail. One of his greatest joys was transforming a rookie reporter into what he affectionately termed "a tire biter," a journalist who fearlessly sought the truth and battled injustice.
In 1993, the Utah Society of Professional Journalists honored this veteran tire biter with its most prestigious award, the Clifford P. Cheney Service to Journalism Award. It was a fitting tribute and among many journalism awards he would receive in his 30-plus years in the newspaper business. Baker's devotion to journalism wasn't about winning awards. He relished the role of watchdog and had high expectations of the newsmakers he covered.
He had equally high expectations of himself. His reporting had substance because he wouldn't tolerate "pat" treatment of any subject matter. He took the time and care to dig out newsworthy details from stale government reports that a less-passionate reporter would dismiss as "too much trouble." After late night city council meetings, Baker could be found in the newsroom grinding out a story well in advance of his morning deadline. Often, he'd catch a quick catnap at his desk between stories.
There was a side to Don Baker beyond the respected journalist. He was a talented musician. Baker and his music partner at the time, Paul Cannon, played for President Jimmy Carter at a White House picnic in 1977. His band, Powder Ridge, was named "best band" at the Telluride Blue Grass Festival in 1989.
When Baker joined the Deseret News in 1997 after 27 years at the Standard-Examiner, he used music to forge a bond with his new colleagues. He was a principal in the "Desert Rat Blues Band," a musical group that draws members from most departments of the Deseret News. The band performs at company functions, including the annual Mark E. Petersen awards banquet. This year, the ensemble included Don's wife, Andrea, with whom he shared a love of music.
More importantly, Baker was a good family man and friend. Always upbeat, Don Baker could straddle many worlds but he had a special affinity for children. He dearly loved his children and stepchildren and he was a father-figure to many others. When he learned recently that a friend's foster child had never been to the circus, Baker took it upon himself to take the child to the big top.
Don Baker was genuinely interested in the people with whom he worked, played and worshipped. He had a gift of leaving us feeling better than when we arrived.
We will miss his music. We will miss his words put to music and those memorialized in newsprint. Mostly, we will miss his friendship.