Charlie Zimmerman: "[Justice Walter] Baker: A 'Model Public Official'". I Say: Yes, Indeed.
Baker: a 'model public official'
By Charlie Zimmerman
The death of Walter Baker is a tremendous loss to Kentucky and to every Kentuckian. He was the true public servant; I am confident that he died wishing that he had just one more day or one more hour he could work to make this a better place to live, work, and play.
After graduating as a member of the first class of Adair County High School, Walter left for Harvard, where he graduated magna cum laude four years later. He subsequently obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School. Upon his graduation, he had his pick of any job on Wall Street and all the money and prestige such a career would have brought him. Instead, Walter returned to Kentucky because he wanted to make a difference in Kentucky. He did, and we are all better because of his life.
The newspaper reports will tell of his years in the Kentucky House and the Kentucky Senate and the recognition he received from those who worked with him, beside him, and even against him. His obituary will report of his term on the Kentucky Supreme Court and his years in Washington as Assistant General Counsel for the United States Department of Defense. And, of course, the accolades will pour him from everyone and anyone who is interested in the education of Kentucky's youth -- the educators who work in and run the schools, the students of all ages who study there, and the businesses that are interested in a batter educated work force all owe much to his work in the legislature, on the Prichard Committee, and his focused and visionary 12 years on the Council on Postsecondary Education. And this doesn't even include his decades in the United States Army Reserve or his work with the Kentucky Historical Society. And on top of all of this, Walter practiced law in Glasgow for over 40 years, representing ordinary individuals who needed an advocate and an adviser.
When he became ill last fall, I told my children about all the things he had done, the positions he had held, the depth of his commitment, the sacrifices he had made on a daily basis, the battles he had fought, and the ways in which he had day by day and year by year changed Kentucky for the better. They were astonished at how much he had accomplished in his lifetime. They said that he sounded like Thomas Jefferson. I agreed.
But what the honors and offices and accolades don't tell is that in an increasingly fractious, partisan world where sound bites and bumper-stickers are a substitute for thought, winning at any cost is prized over the common good, and the future is increasingly sacrificed for short-term gain, Walter Baker was the model of what we wish all public officials could be. He was a true gentleman who treated everyone with respect. He was a scholar and a thinker, but also a great listener and someone with a common touch who worked as hard as he could every day to translate ideas into solutions. He demonstrated what kind of sacrifice we all need to make, eschewing fortune, fame, and glory for a better future for every Kentuckian. Today marks the passing not only of a great Kentuckian, but also of a great American. I hope that we can all learn not only from what he did but also from the thoughtful, constructive, positive, visionary, and concerned way in which he did it.
By Charlie Zimmerman
The death of Walter Baker is a tremendous loss to Kentucky and to every Kentuckian. He was the true public servant; I am confident that he died wishing that he had just one more day or one more hour he could work to make this a better place to live, work, and play.
After graduating as a member of the first class of Adair County High School, Walter left for Harvard, where he graduated magna cum laude four years later. He subsequently obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School. Upon his graduation, he had his pick of any job on Wall Street and all the money and prestige such a career would have brought him. Instead, Walter returned to Kentucky because he wanted to make a difference in Kentucky. He did, and we are all better because of his life.
The newspaper reports will tell of his years in the Kentucky House and the Kentucky Senate and the recognition he received from those who worked with him, beside him, and even against him. His obituary will report of his term on the Kentucky Supreme Court and his years in Washington as Assistant General Counsel for the United States Department of Defense. And, of course, the accolades will pour him from everyone and anyone who is interested in the education of Kentucky's youth -- the educators who work in and run the schools, the students of all ages who study there, and the businesses that are interested in a batter educated work force all owe much to his work in the legislature, on the Prichard Committee, and his focused and visionary 12 years on the Council on Postsecondary Education. And this doesn't even include his decades in the United States Army Reserve or his work with the Kentucky Historical Society. And on top of all of this, Walter practiced law in Glasgow for over 40 years, representing ordinary individuals who needed an advocate and an adviser.
When he became ill last fall, I told my children about all the things he had done, the positions he had held, the depth of his commitment, the sacrifices he had made on a daily basis, the battles he had fought, and the ways in which he had day by day and year by year changed Kentucky for the better. They were astonished at how much he had accomplished in his lifetime. They said that he sounded like Thomas Jefferson. I agreed.
But what the honors and offices and accolades don't tell is that in an increasingly fractious, partisan world where sound bites and bumper-stickers are a substitute for thought, winning at any cost is prized over the common good, and the future is increasingly sacrificed for short-term gain, Walter Baker was the model of what we wish all public officials could be. He was a true gentleman who treated everyone with respect. He was a scholar and a thinker, but also a great listener and someone with a common touch who worked as hard as he could every day to translate ideas into solutions. He demonstrated what kind of sacrifice we all need to make, eschewing fortune, fame, and glory for a better future for every Kentuckian. Today marks the passing not only of a great Kentuckian, but also of a great American. I hope that we can all learn not only from what he did but also from the thoughtful, constructive, positive, visionary, and concerned way in which he did it.
Labels: Fitting tribute
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 8:33 AM
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