James C. Baker

1935 - 2016

James C. Baker

James C. Baker died at age 81 on October 31, 2016, having been born March 10, 1935 in Windfall, Indiana.

He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Jean (Harris) Baker of Kent; daughters, Janet Rader and Jolie Baker of Kent; and son, R. Jefferson Baker (Joyce) of Garrettsville; grandchildren, E. Jean Wills (Jason) of Kent, James Rinehart (Jill) of Morristown, Tennessee and Jenn Lisa of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and great-grandchildren, Savanna, Jason, Ethan and Lindsay Wills; Cameron and Will Rinehart.

He received his B.S., M.B.A. and doctoral degrees from Indiana University. He spent 39 months in the United States Army, serving in Japan and Korea as a translator of Korean after graduating from the Army Language School in Monterey, California.

He was a professor of international business and finance at the University of Maryland, San Francisco State College (now University), and Kent State University, where he was chairman of the Finance Department from 1971 to 1975 and chairman of the Kent State Business Doctoral Program from 1993 to 2000.

He was appointed to the U. S. Regional Export Expansion Council for three terms and volunteered in several positions with the Cleveland World Trade Association from 1978 to 1991.

He was an adjunct professor at George Washington University, the University of Hawaii, Madrid Business School in Spain, Catholic University in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and Hiram College, as well as a faculty member in international business for Kent State University Geneva, Switzerland semester program. He also lectured at Columbia University, The Ohio State University, City University Business School in London, England, The George Washington University, and the College of Wooster. He was a fellow at The Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands in 1972. He spent 1975 through 1976 at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in Washington, D.C., where he observed House and Senate Banking Committee hearings.

He was the author or co-author of seventeen books, and more than 100 journal articles. He also served on the editorial boards of eight academic journals.

In addition to his academic record, he served on the Portage County Blue Ribbon Executive Committee as well as two Kent City Council sub-committees and on two Kent City Boards. He also had leading parts in plays at Weathervane Theatre and with the Stow Players. He volunteered extensively with the Military Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS) air museum in Green Township, Ohio, and during the 1970s and 1980s, he volunteered with the American Morgan Horse Association. He served as speaker a couple of times at the Kent Civil War Society. He was a life-time member of the Portage Animal Protective League.

Celebration of Life Services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Animal Protective League, 8122 Infirmary Road, Ravenna, OH 44266 or MAPS Air Museum Endowment Fund, Akron Community Foundation, 345 W. Cedar Street, Akron, OH 44307.



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