Paul Baker, Jr.

Who was Paul Baker, Jr.?

Colonel Paul Baker, Jr. was a devoted family man, United States Air Force pilot, nuclear physicist, and lifelong student of the saxophone. Dr. Baker was born to Muriel Holbrook Baker and Paul Baker, Sr. of Ashland, Kentucky. Valedictorian of the graduating class of 1942 from Washington and Lee University, his accomplishments included receiving a Bachelor of Science and memberships in Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma, Beta Theta Pi and various dance bands.

Dr. Baker received another Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1945 and was a member of the 1st Battalion, Company B. Also in 1945, he was commissioned as 2nd Lt., Army Air Corps. Over the course of his military career, Dr. Baker's tours of duty included Furstenfeldbruch, Germany; Williams AFB, AS; Keesler AFB, MS; Pentagon, VA; C.A.N.A.L., CT; ASAFA, CO; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, MD.

In 1948, while serving in the Army, in Furstenfeldbruch, he married Vera Iantha Dunton of Miami, Florida; while she was serving in the Red Cross. After the war, the Bakers returned to the United States where Dr. Baker received a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1952. Dr. Baker received his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of Denver in 1965. As a member of the faculty of the United States Air Force Academy, Dr. Baker served as professor, as well as Chair of the Physics Department and as a member of the Selections Committee. He served as an active United States Air Force pilot until his retirement from the service in 1975. He retired from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 1985 and was included in Who's Who in America.