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February 2025
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
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Community
As Slim Baker faced the inevi- tability of his death. He faced the end of his life philosophically and with unsurprising humility. The dedicated conservator of nature let it be known that, “As with the way of nature, I am making room for new life.”
Before “making room,” Slim gathered enough strength to play a significant role in creating the woodland home of the Slim Baker Foundation. This last and lasting work by Slim Baker was, for him, a joyful, creative task.
In the March issue of New- found Lake Life, Part 2 will continue with “Slim Baker, the Legacy.” We will learn about the natural features of this woodland home for outdoor recreation and education, as well as the people who work to maintain its beauty and enhance its recreational and educational programs.
With thanks to Lucille Keegan, director of the Bristol Historical Society, for helping to research this reflection on the work of Slim Baker.
Those wishing to assist the work of the Slim Baker Founda- tion may go to the website: slim- baker.org/donate
SLIM BAKER
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hair was matted and soiled. They wrapped the shivering child with a blanket. In little time, news photographers arrived to record the joyful moments shared by Joe Hollingworth and the rescuers. Joe asked the photographers to wait a moment so the “big guy” might join the rescuers. The con- servation officer had been instru- mental in facilitating the search. The newspapers were quick to comply. After all, a six-foot-three- inch officer in uniform, armed with a pistol, would add interest to the picture. The “big guy” was Everett Dane Baker, known to many as “Slim”.
The memorable picture was not the first time Slim Baker would experience wide public notice. Two years earlier, in Au- gust of 1939, the Boston Globe featured a story about Slim, “Ad- venture Lurks in Quiet Spaces For this Young Game.Warden.” (Slim was 29 at the time). As the
news article implied, much of Slim Baker’s work was “quiet” and rarely prompted the pub- licity of the rescue of the small child or a featured article in a
BREAKFAST
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fraternal love and working to- gether for the greater good.
Charity is at the heart of the Eastern Star’s mission. Over the years, members have raised mil- lions of dollars to support causes such as cancer research, arthritis and rheumatism research, the Heart Fund, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Shriners Hospi- tals for Children, and numerous other local and national initiatives.
Boston paper. His usual work in- volved compliance with fish and game laws, perhaps levying fines or summonses, rescuing lost pets, freeing wild animals from illegal traps, regulating lake water levels, and many hours of conveying the wonders of nature to young chil- dren. However, Slim did remain in the public eye as an advocate for the inclusion of gun safety in the curricula of New Hampshire’s public high schools, an advocacy that contributed to a posthumous award given by the New En- gland’s Outdoor Writers Associa- tion for the person who had done the most for conservation in New Hampshire.
Slim’s interest in education was not limited to teaching con- servation to children. He was in demand as a speaker for many adult organizations. His peripa- tetic life had given him rich anec- dotes to share. Before he became a Conservation Officer in 1933, Slim had worked as a taxi driver in Boston.
Traveling West across the con- tinent, which included time spent in Mexico, he would be a cattle- man, a silver miner, and an oil- man. He worked in fish canneries and on riverboats. He would share
Whether you’re a regular at- tendee of the Monthly Commu- nity Breakfast or a newcomer looking to support a good cause, the Sawhegenit Chapter #52 in- vites you to join them on February 8th and March 8th. Take a break from the winter chill, share a meal with friends, and help make a difference in the lives of those in need. For more information about the breakfast or the work of the Sawhegenit Chapter #52, visit the website: https://nheasternstar. org/nh.php.
Slim Baker (1910 - 1953)
the toil of picking cotton. Finally, in California, he worked in for- estry, and there, he experienced a confirmation of his desire to work to protect the natural world.
Predictably, Slim Baker grew to be an iconic figure in the Lakes Region. After wartime (1943- 1946) military service, he settled in Bristol with his wife, Lucy, and continued his conservation work until his death in 1953 at age 43. Lucy survived Slim for many years, enriching the Bristol com- munity with her own legacy of public work.
In 1953, civic leaders, learn- ing that Slim was terminally ill, were moved to honor him with a recognition of his life’s work.
Adding to their gratitude for his service was the bond of friendship that had developed on fishing and hunting trips with the “big guy.” Consequently, a Slim Baker Fund was founded with the goal of cre- ating a living legacy in his name, perhaps that would be a “school in the outdoors”, something Slim had long hoped would become a reality. A school in the outdoors would naturally need a reser- vation of land large enough to provide the experience of being in the wilds of unspoiled nature. Such land could be found on Lit- tle Round Top in Bristol, a hill that climbed to a 1000-foot sce- nic bluff overlooking the Pemige- wasset Valley and its perimeter of easterly hills. Perhaps moved by Providence, local resident, Reba Follansbee Hipson, who had inherited 125 acres of Lit- tle Round Top from her father Herbert, donated that land to the Bristol Federated Church with the understanding it would be leased for $1.00 to the Slim Baker Foundation. This was in keeping with her wishes that it would re- main an unspoiled woodland for experiencing and learning about New Hampshire’s natural envi- ronment.
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