On December 11, leaders from NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps paid tribute to a 102-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona, resident who has a special connection to NOAA and the NOAA Corps.
During a surprise visit, NOAA Corps Director Rear Adm. Chad Cary, presented retired NOAA Corps Capt. Leonard (Sam) Baker with a meritorious service medal for his four decades of service to the nation with the NOAA Corps and its predecessors.
“Capt. Baker served his nation with honor and distinction, and this recognition is long overdue,” said Rear Adm. Cary. “We were honored to visit with him and deliver this award in person.”
Capt. Baker began his career with NOAA, before it was an agency. Following his enlistment in the Marine Corps during World War II, Baker commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey Corps (precursor to the modern day NOAA Corps) in 1947.
He was first assigned to a ship in Long Island Sound, where he worked on mapping from aerial photos and served on several ship assignments throughout his career.
In 1967, he was appointed as chief of the National Ocean Survey’s Geodesy Division, and later retired from the NOAA Corps in 1978. He now writes children’s books.
You can listen and learn about more of Capt. Baker’s life and experience in this NOAA Heritage Oral History Project interview.