Orangemen to Dedicate Racing Shell in Honor of Dr. Bruce E. Baker '59 and Patricia Gormel Baker '59
4/23/2004 11:44:11 AM | Men's Rowing
While he was an undergraduate at Syracuse in the late 1950s, Bruce Baker was a member of the crew team. He helped the 1956 freshmen crew to the IRA Regatta Championship, and was a member of the second varsity eight in 1959. In 1985, Bruce was honored as a Syracuse University LetterWinner of Distinction, an award voted on by his peers in SU’s Varsity Club. Bruce is currently a member of the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association (SARA). Both Bruce and Patricia, who was also involved in athletics at Syracuse, are members of the Central New York Alumni Club.
Syracuse has christened several boats, including recent ones in honor of Associate AD Emeritus Doris Soladay, Robert Herrick, SID Emeritus Larry Kimball, Joe Peter ’69, Charles Roberts ’61, and 1938 co-captains Bob Otis and Les Foster. Last spring, SU christened a boat in honor of former head coach Bill Sanford.
Bruce served as SU’s team physician between 1973 and 1993. During that time, he worked with all Syracuse student-athletes to insure optimum performance and proper rehabilitation, and he also performed the majority of the orthopedic surgery required to repair athletic injuries.
Bruce has been considered one of the country’s leaders in the field of sports medicine. During his career, he has produced several publications, secured research grants, and gave presentations for sports medicine practitioners throughout the country. He currently maintains a private practice in orthopedic surgery in upstate New York
A native of Oswego, N.Y., Bruce Baker earned a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University in mechanical engineering in 1959 and a pre-medical degree in 1961. He earned his M.D. from the SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse in 1965. Baker was also a captain in the U.S. Air Force between 1967 and 1969. Patricia Baker graduated from Syracuse with a bachelor’s degree in special education in 1959.
The Bakers have three sons and one daughter. Their oldest, Brett, graduated from Syracuse with a degree in engineering in 1987. He and his wife, Natalie Sachs Baker ’88, a former member of the Orangewomen rowing team, live in Charleston, S.C., where Brett is a cardiologist. Clayton rowed for Harvard’s lightweight crew and is a physician and is on the teaching staff at Rochester. Sean rowed for Clemson and is now a physical therapist living and working in the Washington, D.C., area. Reatha, a graduate of Vanderbilt, is an attorney for the state of Virginia and lives in Richmond.
The Bakers donated the money for the purchase of the Orangemen’s new racing shell. SU’s varsity eight will race the new shell for the first time on Saturday morning against Georgetown and Temple. The dedication ceremony will take place after the final race of the morning. The JV eights race at 8:00 a.m., the varsity boats start at 8:20 a.m., and the freshman eights will race at 8:40 a.m. Georgetown and Temple will compete in an open fours event at 9:00 a.m., followed by the boat dedication at 10:00 a.m.
