Dr. Milton R. Baum (School Principal in 1955)
Dr. Milton R. Baum, age 80, passed away August 9, 2003 at Santiam Hospital. He died of complications suffered from a head injury that occurred while jogging on vacation in Arizona in 1998. He and his wife Marjorie have been living at Marion Estates in Sublimity for the past year.
Milt, as his friends liked to call him, was born March 15, 1923 in Urbana, Kan. His mother, Thelma Delores Smith, passed away March 27, 2001 at the age of 99. He had an older brother Glenn, and a younger sister, Mary Jo, both are deceased.
He attended high school in Camas, Wash. During his high school years he worked at a local dairy. He also worked for Crown-Zellerbach in the paper mill.
He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp. January 5, 1942. He proudly served as a bombardier-navigator on B-25's during WWII in the South Pacific. He was a member of VMB 611 and VMB-413. He was a strong athletic man who was often asked to play basketball and baseball for various military teams. His brother Glenn served in the U.S. Navy and was aboard the Yorktown when it was fatally hit by enemy fire and he was forced to abandon ship. Ironically, Glenn and Milt ended up in the same military hospital in the states. They discovered each other there only after the Red Cross attempted to contact them regarding the poor health of their father. Milt felt very lucky to be alive, in that very few members of his marine air comrades survived the War.
After being discharged from military service on January 25, 1946 he was offered a chance to attend Notre Dame on a full scholarship, but he declined saying he just completed four years in the company of "men-only" and wanted to try something different. He returned to Oregon where he got his BA in 1949 from Willamette University. While attending Willamette University he met his bride-to-be Marjorie Louise Lundahl. They were later married June 10, 1951, the same day that he received his masters degree and Marjorie got her BA from Willamette University. While working towards his masters degree he was also teaching and coaching at Silverton High School. This was the beginning of his long and dedicated 42 year career in education. His life as a family man began Sept. 23, 1952 with the birth of his first of 3 children, Mary Louise. Next came Rebecca Lee in July 28, 1954, and then finally John Christopher in July 8, 1959.
In 1960, Milt got his doctorate degree in Education from Oregon State University. The family moved to Hood River in 1963. Milt was appointed county superintendent of Hood River schools. In 1965 the family moved once again to Salem, Ore. where Milt was hired as research director for the Oregon State Department of Education. He worked for the department of education for 26 years as an educational specialist, and a director, and then at the time of his retirement in 1991, he held the position of associate-superintendent for the State Department of Education. It has been said, the during Milt's 26 years with the Department, he has served as a walking encyclopedia of Oregon education and school improvement, being recognized as an expert in school finance, curriculum, personnel, school law, and small schools. He also taught educational law at the University of Oregon. He will be fondly remembered for his kind, and careful listening skills. This particular trait served him well during his time as a Federal Arbitrator. He enjoyed traveling around the country during his various assignments. He was also an avid sportsman and enjoyed taking frequent walks whenever possible. He and his wife Marjorie took many trips and especially liked to skin and scuba dive. They recorded many of their adventures on film, both below and above water. His love for the ocean and water sports got passed on to his children as the family spent numerous summer vacations at a small, remote resort on Hood Canal, Wash. There, his children learned to snorkel and skin dive and they feasted on clams, oysters and fresh fish that Milt was able to spear. These were precious days that the family members will cherish remembering forever. In 1977 Milt's only son, John, was tragically taken away by cancer at the age of 17. John enjoyed many activities with his dad, including bow hunting, wrestling around, scuba diving and basketball. John's brave fight against a rare, but terminal form of bone cancer was an inspiration to both friends and family.
Milt was survived by his wife, Marjorie; his eldest daughter, Mary Lou and her husband Steven K. Love; and daughter, Rebecca Lee Liszewski and husband Ron. Milt enjoyed frequent visits with his grandchildren Ashley, 14 and Katie,5 and twin brother Matt Liszewski.
A private grave site service was held for family members on August 23. A memorial service and remembrance celebration for the public will be held at 11 a.m. Sat., Sept. 6 at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in South Salem. Call 503-364-7202 for directions. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that contributions be made to the Cancer Foundation or The American Diabetic Assoc.
It surely will be said that Milt Baum’s illustrious career touched many people’s lives in many positive ways. If asked how he would like to be remembered he would most likely say, “remember me as a man that always strove to do my very best, whether serving my country as a marine, or in the classroom as a teacher, or at home raising my family.”
[Information about Milt Baum is from the Sublimity newspaper, as submitted by Lee Hart.]
Marjorie Baum, Milt's wife, passed away suddenly January 28, 2004.
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