Donald G. Baker

Donald G. Baker
July 20, 1923 - March 10, 2014
St. Paul, Minnesota
Graveside Service: 11:00 AM April 03, 2014 at Lexington Cemetery, rural Wellman
- Beloved husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather and friend. Passed away peacefully on March 10th, 2014. Preceded in death by loving wife Jacqueline M. with whom he shared 55 wonderful years of marriage, mother Florence K., father William E., brother-in-law Jacques Mouzel and nephew Jean Thierry Mouzel. Survived by son William G. (Mary) and beloved grandson James G., all of St. Paul. Also survived by beloved cousins Frances O'Sullivan (Michael) and Carol Papirnik of Buchanan, Michigan; sister-in-law Janine Mouzel and niece Pascale De Sparre (Eric), great nieces and nephew, and great-nephew, all of Paris, France. Born July 20, 1923 in St. Paul, Minnesota, with the exception of his military service, Donald spent his entire life in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. He graduated from Murray High School class of 1941. Upon America's entry into the Second World War, he joined the Army Air Corps, beginning his education as a climatologist . He attended the University of Chicago and trained at several Army Air Corps bases including Rapid City SD, before being deployed to the European theater. He was stationed near Wantage, England during the war as a meteorologist, providing weather information to the Air Corps pilots and crews who flew missions over occupied Europe. Upon the liberation of France in 1944, he was stationed at Orly Airfield in Paris. A dashing Lieutenant, he met a lovely young French woman named Jacqueline Mouzel. Their romance flourished and they became engaged in 1945. Their plans were interrupted by the Korean conflict when he was re-called for service by the newly established U.S. Air Force and he served in Korea from 1951-1952, where he received the Bronze Star for Merit. After his discharge, he was finally allowed to complete his romance with Jacqueline, and they were married in Paris at the Chapel of the Hotel des Invalides on Valentines Day 1953. The happy couple returned to St. Paul, where Donald continued his education. Upon achieving his doctorate in Climatology and Soil Science in 1958, Donald began his long career as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota. He established the Climatological Observatory just north of the campus, and built it with help from his students in 1960. This Observatory has recorded subsoil temperatures for over 50 years, and has provided an unprecedented database for climate change research. Donald was a Fellow in the American Society of Agronomy and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also honored with a Governor's Award of Recognition (Governor Rudy Perpich) in 1984 for his assessment of wind energy potential in the state of Minnesota, and he received a National Weather Service career award in 1986 for his contributions to agricultural meteorology. After his retirement as a professor, Donald was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota for contributions to teaching and research. Donald was a man of many interests including photography, railroading, archaeology, the stock market, and mentoring students. Donald spent his summers as a boy visiting his grandparents C.C. and Flora Gardner at their home in Wellman, Iowa which is now Powell Funeral Home. From those times he gained a love of the people, natural beauty and productivity of the farm fields of Iowa that lasted his entire life. Always a true gentleman and outwardly a man of steely reserve, Donald treasured his family and friends. An only child of an only child, later in life he greatly enjoyed being part of a larger extended family through the marriage of his son. The family would like to thank the staff and management of the St. Anthony Park Home for their kind and loving care. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at the Lexington Cemetery in rural Wellman. Pastor Moody Colorado will officiate. Military rites by Charles Polton American Legion Post #427. The Powell Funeral Home in Wellman is in charge of the arrangements.