Cornelia Thelda Baker

Cornelia Thelda Baker, aged 97, died peacefully of natural causes on Friday, May 26, 2017 in Oakland, California with her daughter and granddaughters whispering messages of loving devotion in her ear. She was born January 2, 1920, to Ivey Forman Lewis and Agnes Webb Lewis in Newbern, Alabama, about 60 miles from Birmingham, Alabama. She graduated from the racially segregated African American high school, Frederick A. Douglass Mid-High School. She started working at age 15 and continued for 52 years until she retired. At age 17, Connie attended the Colored Agricultural and Normal University, later renamed Langston University in Oklahoma City (1937-39). Connie eloped to Napoleon, Ohio and married when she was almost 20 years old, to the love of her life, Robert Edwoods Baker, one of nine children of Attorney Oscar W. Baker and Ida May Harrison Baker, of Bay City, Michigan. They later gave a party and announced on a calling card, “Connie and Bob are Now the Bakers.” After 2 years of educational pursuits from 1941- 43 as a transfer student to Wayne University, in Detroit Michigan, Connie worked part-time and was also a homemaker. She started her first career in 1947 for more than a decade at the Wayne County Department of Social Welfare as a social case worker and a medical social worker. Her mother and father migrated to Detroit to join their four children and reunite the family. In 1955 Connie received her B.A. degree at Wayne U. and in 1957 she was admitted to their graduate school and earned a Master Degree in Education. She continued her studies in the area of special education and received 30 hours above her Master’s Degree. Connie helped improve her community by engaging in a variety of community and professional arenas. Her avocations included dancing, sewing, playing bridge and gardening. She was an excellent example of the drive and achievements that come when migrants seek fertile soil for their ambitions for better employment and educational opportunities. Cornelia is survived by her daughter, Dr. Beverly Baker-Kelly; her granddaughters, Traci Allyce Kelly of Southern California, (Brian J. Crump), and Kara Gisele Kelly (Rahsaan W. Thompson) of Oakland; her great-granddaughters, Keiley Jade Kelly Thompson, 15 years old, and Hayden Nia Kelly Thompson of Oakland, California, 11 years old; and a host of family and friends. She will be interned at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan, alongside, Bob, her husband of 56 years. Memorial Services will be held at Lake Park Residence, Oakland, California on Saturday, the 24th of June, 2-4pm and in Detroit, Michigan on Sunday, 27th August 2017, with the location to be determined. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/corneliabaker" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.gofundme.com/corneliabaker for a donation to the new African American Museum of History and Culture in DC or sent to 2983 Burdeck Drive, Oakland, California 94602 for transfer to the fund. Beverly can be reached at [email protected] or 510-500-3631. Connie’s Story: A Life Lived with Panache TWO CAREERS - ONE LIFETIME Few people have had two outstanding careers as has Cornelia Thelda Lewis Baker. For 11 years she was a Detroit social worker, then went on to distinguish herself in the field of education as a highly acclaimed teacher, reading specialist, trainer of teachers, principal and curriculum developer. COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES Cornelia is also a founder and president of the Greater Wayne county (Michigan) chapter of The Links, Inc. for which she received a plaque from Oakland University. The Links, Inc. is an international non-profit volunteer service corporation of outstanding professional women of color in the arts, education and other fields, who work to make the world a better place for all people. She is a lifetime member of the NAACP and active in Delta Sigma Theta, an African American public service sorority. PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS As a teacher, she was so valued by her principal that, when forced to downsize his faculty, said he would cut anyone but her, never mind that she has the least seniority. Cornelia then accepted a position as a reading specialist, a job she held for three years before moving into administration, where she served as a staff coordinator, curriculum developer and ultimately an assistant principal of a middle school. She also supervised college students in their practice teaching, for which she received an award from the Detroit Board of Education. A LIFE LESSON AT AGE NINE The turning point in her life came in fourth grade, back in rural Alabama, when she spent the school year with her father’s sister, Lydia Lewis Ruffin, in Bessemer , Alabama. Aunt Lydia also happened to be her fourth grade teacher, so when Cornelia did not pass the statewide test because of a few errors, her aunt said, “If you had taken your time, you’d have gotten a better score.” Cornelia always remembered that, and her Aunt’s telling her, “I expect the best from you at all times.” Cornelia did do her best, and when she transferred schools the next year, she skipped to the sixth grade. Connie never forgot how a good teacher can change a life. CHILDHOOD MOORINGS Cornelia Thelda Lewis was born January 2, 1920, the third of four children in a farming family near Newbern, 60 miles from Birmingham, Alabama. Her mother, Agnes Christlike Webb Lewis, the only one of seven children in her family to go to college, taught elementary school. Her father, Ivey Forman Lewis, was a contractor and builder. His first effort was a small bridge over a little stream. “If you can cross this”, he told his mother, who was quite heavy, “I’m on my way.” She did. THE FAMILY MIGRATES TO OKLAHOMA CITY There wasn’t much demand for builders with skin of color in Alabama, so when Cornelia was in the tenth grade, at 15 years old, the family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where Connie graduated in a college preparatory course from Douglass High School in 1937, a racially segregated school. The family flourished. Ivy had steady work building many homes and churches in the area. Cornelia is especially proud that he never overcharged anyone. Every Sunday he took the children to see his latest building and explained what went into its construction—valuable lessons that accomplishments require skills, planning and expert work. OFF TO COLLEGE Connie dreamed of becoming a nurse when she graduated from high school in 1937. But before she left for the Colored Agricultural and Normal University, later renamed Langston University, Oklahoma, her parents sat her down for a serious talk. Nursing was too physically demanding for a girl who weighed only 98 pounds. She relented and decided instead to get a degree in social work. THE LAST FAMILY MIGRATION TO MICHIGAN At age 19, Connie’s family again ‘pulled my stakes’ and migrated to Detroit, Michigan in search of better employment and schooling opportunities for people of color like the four Lewis children. There was a thirteen year-plus age gap between Connie, her younger sister Mattie, and their older brother and sister. Once in Detroit, John, aka, “Bubba”, became a licensed contractor, and her sister, Bessie, became a teacher in the Detroit Public School system. In fact all three Lewis sisters, obtained their education from the newly racially integrated Wayne State University in Detroit and became teachers and later, school administrators, and educational specialists. TRANSFER STUDENT After two years at Langston (1937-39), Connie worked for a year to earn money for her tuition fees and transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit (1940-43) with the aim of earning her B.A. degree. Wayne admitted few African Americans in the 1940s. Cornelia placed high on the competitive entrance exam to become one of the 45 new students. But stumbling blocks abounded. The economy and the war were temporary setbacks to her educational goals. ROBERT E. BAKER ENTERS HER LIFE Ironically, it was because of racial discrimination that she met her future husband. At the University of Michigan, Robert E. Baker, as one of only three African American graduate students in the Department of Education, had little opportunity to meet girls. A friend at Wayne suggested he come ‘look over the crop” there. Spotting Cornelia coming out of her literature class, with her sparkling blue eyes and silky straight hair, he asked who she was, and his friend said,“a transfer student from Oklahoma.” “That’s just what I’m looking for,” said Bob. NOVEMBER 2ND: A SIGNIFICANT DATE The date they met, November 2nd, turned out to be the anniversary of other major events in Cornelia’s life. It was on November 2nd that they married the next year. And two years later, November 2, 1942, their daughter, Beverly, was born. RACISM WAS A STUMBLING BLOCK Connie was tenacious. Her husband, Bob, went off to fight in the war, they had a new baby but Connie wanted more education in order to control her career trajectory. But it was not easy. After the war, racism was rampart. Robert had a master’s degree in history from the University of Michigan and still couldn’t get a job other than being a janitor for the school system. It took his father, Oscar, an attorney with one leg from Bay City, Michigan and the President of the Bar Association, a position commensurate with this standing in his small town community, to activate his connections to get Robert an interview as an elementary school teacher. Finally, in 1945 Robert became began teaching at Alger School, earning $116.20 a month, even counting his masters degree increment. Ten years later he made $330.00 a month. But Connie was undaunted. The family needed two salaries to thrive. In 1951 she re-enrolled at Wayne University, determined to slowly earn a bachelors degree in education. Later in 1953 she studied social work courses at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and then returned to Wayne, joined Delta Sigma Theta sorority, serving as president of its Pledge club, then president of the chapter. In fact, Connie enlisted Beverly, who by 1954 was in the 7th grade, to sit with her and call out her Spanish lessons. Repete usted was Connie’s directive. Connie mixed university classes with full time work. She started her first career in 1947, when Beverly was 5 years old, and for more than a decade she worked at the Wayne County Department of Social Welfare as a social case worker and a medical social worker. In 1955 Connie finally received her B.A. degree at Wayne U. and in 1957 she was admitted to their graduate school and earned a Master Arts in Education degree in 1960. Thereafter, she continued her studies in the area of special education and received 30 hours above her Master’s Degree. Beverly was a teenager during these years and saw how hard her Mother worked as her job and at obtaining an education. Beverly has followed in her Mother’s footsteps. 2ND CAREER IN EDUCATION In 1959, armed with a Michigan Teaching Certificate, Connie’s started her career in education which included positions at the elementary schools of Pattengill, Hampton, Couzens, Edmonson and Clippert. She served as a homeroom teacher, test coordinator, supervision teacher, reading coordinator, staff coordinator, in-service trainer, curriculum developer, and guidance counselor, with the culminating achievement as an Assistant Principal. She organized workshops, in-service training in reading and mathematics and general curriculum; and very occasionally guest-lectured at Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. Cornelia loved teaching elementary school while earning high praise from her predominately Caucasian students and parents. She especially recalls how she handled the only behavior problem she ever had: five disruptive boys in her third grade class. She decided to test them, and found they were all at high achievement level in reading and math. She then designed individual programs for them, and they quickly became model students. All five, she notes proudly, became professionals. When the parents thanked her, she simply said, “This is the way we educated our daughter.” EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST From teaching, she moved on to become a reading specialist, serving in two different schools over the next three years. Afterwards, she worked in administration as a staff coordinator, was assistant principal at a middle school, then a curriculum specialist. But she was proudest of supervising students from Wayne State’s education department in their practice teaching, for which she received many commendations and awards from the University and the Detroit Board of Education. SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY Connie served the community in many ways including being the YMCA membership Chair, Collingwood-LaSalle Block Club, President, Human Relations chairperson, and recipient of an award from the Mayor for providing cultural activities for the children from the Detroit community, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, President, Delta Kappa Gamma Honor Society, Detroit-Metropolitan Reading Conference; Detroit Federation of Teachers, Executive Board and negotiation team member, American Federation of Teachers, Organization of School Administrators and Supervisors, Women Administrators Organization, and a Region Spelling Bee Parliamentarian. THE TEAM OF BOB AND CONNIE Connie and Bob were a special team. Brave in so many ways. They built their family home in Detroit from the ground up. They were in tune with each other on so many important issues that made their lives magical together: love of family, loyalty to friends, finances and frugality, travel to many distant corners of the world, the desire to move from their treasured home on LaSalle Boulevard to Riverfront Park, a double luxury apartment looking over the water across from Canada. Connie and Bob even decided to retire at the same time, just so they could enjoy their lives together and live out their years of marriage as partners. GLOBTROTERS Bob, Connie and Beverly used the summer school breaks to globetrot to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Montreal, Mexico, Africa, England, France, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, where Bob’s opera singing sister, Elaine, aka, Countess Blue Jeans jokingly by her nephew, lived for 40 years) , Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Spain. GRANDCHILDREN, SPOUSES AND GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN But Connie and Bob’s greatest joy was to spend long stretches of time in California with their grandchildren, Traci and Kara. Later they shared them with their spouses, Brian Crump and Rahsaan Thompson. And then with their great-granddaughters, Keiley Jade Kelly Thompson (now 15 years old) and Hayden Nia Kelly Thompson (now 11 years old). MOVING TO CALIFORNIA AND LAKE PARK RESIDENCE Her residence for the past 4years and eight months was Lake Park Senior Residence in Oakland, California where the administrators , staff, and assisted and skilled nursing staff took excellent care of her. SELF ACTUALIZATION Connie was a self-actualized woman and a true role model for her daughter, her grandchildren and her great-grand children. After Bob’s death in 1996, the Bakers had been so frugal through the years that Connie paid cash for her new BMW, lived on her own for 17 years in Detroit before moving to Oakland, California. She joined her daughter, Dr. Beverly Baker-Kelly, a legal educator and attorney, her son-in-law, Dr. A. Paul Kelly, a renowned dermatology specialist in skin diseases for skin of color, and her granddaughters, both high level business executives in diverse fields, their spouses, one a corporate attorney and the other a media specialist, and her high achieving pre-teen great-granddaughters. A LIFE WITH PANACHE Connie had panache: a flamboyance, confidence, self-assurance, style, flair, elan, dash, verve, zest, spirit, brio, eclat, vivacity, gusto, liveliness, vitality, and energy. She was all of these and more. With sparkling blue eyes, an enviable full head of ‘blond’ hair, a flair of a temper, deep love of family and friends, warmth to those from high to low in social status, pride of being an African American, and unstoppable dancing feet, she represents an end of an era from a Southern migrant to a Northern achiever. Connie was a very special person who loved people and they in turn loved her more. She was people-smart, a tenacious academic achiever, and a true professional. She was a dedicated wife, mother, friend, grandmother and great-grandmother and excelled in all of these roles while her family benefitted from her largess. At Lake Park Residence she was always known as the best-dressed resident of them all. LOYALTY FROM FAMILY, FRIENDS AND CAREGIVERS Connie engendered loyalty. While living in California this past four plus years she received daily calls from her daughter, Beverly, from Muscat, Oman, twice daily calls from her granddaughter, Traci and holiday visits with her granddaughter Kara’s family. She received frequent calls, cards and letters, special event flowers, and in person across-the-miles visits from loyal friends: Gene Fitzgerald, Chuckie Sugayan, David Baker and Lisa Lewis, Tijani Mohamed, Ellis Brown, Chacona Johnson Baugh, Dominic Pulera, Vera Heidelberg, Charlotte Benjamin, Conklin Bray, Thelma McQuary, Lisa Gill, Zijing Xi and many others. Her family thanks each one of you for filling Mom’s life with meaningful interaction and joy. She even shared a Christmas-in-San Francisco trip last December 2016 with her daughter and her close-to-the-heart friends, Kim and Kenny Cole, of Detroit. Her caregivers and professionals: Didi LaCroix, her exercise physiotherapist, Deby Aguero, a massage therapist, Gina Ortins and Lucy Roel , caregivers, at Lake Park Residence became like family to her. The nursing staff in the assisted living and in the skilled nursing units made her often say, “they are so good to me.” FAMILY ABOUNDS She was pre-deceased by her son-in-law, A. Paul Kelly, M.D.; her Mother and Father, Ivey and Agnes Lewis, her sister, Bessie Smart (Robert , Sr.), her brother, John Lewis, Jr., (Helen), her half sister, Estelle Lewis Crenshaw, her brother-in-law, Gerald Goldsby and other close Lewis and Baker relatives. Connie was, also, a valued member on the Lewis side, of the BBDLW families: Ball, Bell, Dancy, Lewis, and White, including her first cousins, Dr. Lydia Lewis Alexander, Dr. Gwendolyn Lewis Harllee and Clinton Lewis. Connie leaves relatives in Detroit and elsewhere: her sister, Mattie May Lewis Goldsby, and nieces and nephew, Lisa Gill, Debra Lloyd (Thomas); her nephew, Dennis “Doc” Randolph, Jr.,(Julie) of the Philippines; her nephew, Dr. David Jackson (Darlene), their sons Christopher, Eric and Gregory, and her niece, Llenda Jackson Leslie (Michael), of DC. She is also survived in Michigan by a host of loving in-laws from the Baker side of her large and extended family, including her sister-in-law, Yvonne Baker Warren. HER FINAL DAYS Her body was ready for her to pass on. Luckily, she passed quickly without lingering pain. We are happy that she escaped the more wearing sides of decline; much like A. Paul Kelly,M.D.,Connie’s son-in-law, who escaped another year of debilitation and weakness from Parkinson’s Disease in 2014. Connie's decline began a few weeks ago when she fell, was a bit disoriented, and her assisted-living-head-nurse decided that she should be hospitalized for tests and observation. The nurse erred on the side of caution but then Mom got caught up with being bed-ridden in the hospital, waiting for certification from Medicaid for extraordinary rehabilitation, having a relatively long term chest cold, the loss of strength in her legs causing ambulation and elimination problems, symptoms of daytime sleepiness, drinking Ensure supplement and eating only soft foods due to shaky teeth , and the ambiance of the 'skilled nursing' floor which is at a busier pace from her more private independent 'assisted' living floor. “WHEN AM I GOING HOME UPSTAIRS” She even mentioned to a couple of close friends and relatives that she was 'going home upstairs'. Beverly spoke to her every day from Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman where she is teaching law ,about one hour by plane from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Often Connie could not properly manipulate her cell phone. Kara and family visited, made a video, filled her room with flowers and love, Traci continued to try and call twice a day but the conversations were short and lacked substance. TRACI’S LAST VISIT Traci saw the writing on the wall and on her own initiative drove with her husband to Oakland from Los Angeles just to rub her grandmother’s hands with lotion and put lip balm on her lips. Traci told her, "I love you and you have been a wonderful grandmother." Traci cried and Grandmother Connie ended up consoling her. Quite a turn of events! READY TO PASS ON But Mom Connie was ready to leave us. We must not be sad. Connie crafted an eventful life for herself, her loved ones, relatives and friends. She left her mark on her world and we are proud of her. She is free and we are happy. MISSING HER Connie will be sorely missed by her family and friends. She was a one-of-a-kind who was always ahead of the group, a class act who exemplified leadership, unselfish love and services to others. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/corneliabaker for a donation to the new African American Museum of History and Culture in DC or sent to 2983 Burdeck Drive, Oakland, California 94602 for transfer to the fund.