Baker, Frank Louis, 1909-1985

Frank Louis Baker, Jr. was born on July 23, 1909, at Belle Plaine, Iowa. Baker attended Northwestern University as an undergraduate in the late 1920s. He was a member of the varsity football team as well as sophomore class President. In 1930, Baker made the all-American football team. Upon graduation, Baker joined the Green Bay Packers, worked as an actor, and was a member of the U.S. Air Force. Baker died in 1985.

Baker's father worked for the railroads and, as a consequence, the Baker family moved several times during Frank’s youth. He attended secondary schools in Norfolk, Nebraska; Huron, South Dakota; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Washington High School). Baker was a gifted athlete and an outstanding member of his high schools’ football, basketball, and track teams. By the time of his graduation, Baker had so distinguished himself in football that representatives and boosters from several universities vied to recruit him for their teams. He chose to enroll at Northwestern University.

Baker played on Northwestern’s freshman football team of 1927 and on the varsity football teams of 1928, 1929 and 1930. A quick and agile end, he was a major contributor to Wildcat successes in that era including the conference championship of 1930. Acclaimed by opposing coaches and contemporary sportswriters, Baker was named to numerous all-conference and, in 1930, all-American teams.

Baker was a popular and active member of the Northwestern student body. He served as president of his sophomore class and as a member of the sophomore and, later, senior social committees. Baker was a member of the N Men’s Club, an organization of athletic letter winners, and of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

After leaving Northwestern Baker joined the Green Bay Packers professional football team. He played on the league champion Packer team of 1931. Baker left football to pursue a career in motion pictures; he relocated to Los Angeles and signed a contract with MGM. He maintained an interest in athletics and recreational sports and established and operated a Boys’ Club in Beverly Hills. During the Second World War Baker served as an officer and pilot of B-17s and B-24s with the U.S. Army Air Force. He remained in the Air Force for a period after the war and, before retiring from the service, piloted the B-36 intercontinental bomber. Upon completing his military service Baker began a new career as a manager of apartment properties and settled in the San Francisco Bay area.

Baker married Mae Sands. The couple had three children: Sandra (Keller), Lucinda (Larrson), and Roberta (Whyburn). Frank Baker died on September 17, 1985.

From the guide to the Frank L. Baker (1909-1985) Scrapbook, ca. 1924-1933, (Northwestern University Archives)