Linda R. Baker, College of Education alumna and passionate supporter of education, died Dec. 27, 2023, at age 77. Her legacy lives on in the many profound and positive contributions she and her husband Dale have made over the years. The Baker Teacher Leader Center in the UI College of Education is named in her honor.
“Linda Baker was a true advocate for education with a kind and generous heart,” says College of Education Dean Dan Clay, who traveled to India with Linda and a group of UI students and faculty as part of the India Winterim program in 2017. “She believed in making sure every student had access to opportunities, regardless of their ability to pay. She spoke passionately of the power of teachers to transform lives and invested in training teachers to have enormous impact. Linda often spoke of the joy she experienced through supporting others, and she and Dale lived their life just that way. Her passing is an enormous loss for our University of Iowa family, but she has left an undeniable legacy of kindness and impact, which lives on through our Baker Teacher Leader Center and the many initiatives she and Dale supported over the years."
Read more in this legacy tribute story.