Edward Baker

“My grandfather’s perspective on life was admirable. He was always a joyful man. Maybe the perspective of war at such a young age made him this way. He was always whistling, and waking me up by singing an obnoxious song — now a very happy memory!”

– Lisa Lanier ’95

Edward Baker, remembered by his granddaughter, Lisa Lanier

Edward Baker was stationed at Fort Kamehameha on Hawaii the day Pearl Harbor was bombed, an experience that colored his approach to life.

My grandfather sent this photograph to my grandmother when they met as pen pals during the war. They were married soon after his return to North Carolina.

He would never discuss the war with me. It bothered him to relive these memories. I learned about his experiences well after his death, when I found his war photo albums and his account of being at Fort Kamehameha on Dec. 7, 1941, which was published in a newspaper.