JOHN WORTHINGTON BALDWIN

Bernice native John Worthington Baldwin passed away peacefully in his home in Shreveport at the age of 61 on Sunday, November 7, 2010. Born in 1949 and delivered by Dr. Calvin Reeves, he was the eldest son of Jack and Winnie Baldwin of Bernice.
John accomplished many things in his life, starting early as a Congressional Page for Senator Russell Long during his teenage years. He received his undergraduate degree in English from American University in D.C., another undergraduate degree in Education from Louisiana Tech University, and a Master's Degree in Education from Oxford University in England. His pursuit of higher learning finally culminated in a Master's degree in Education Administration from Harvard University in 1999, for which he received a full scholarship to attend.
In the late 1980s, John opened a new school in Shreveport (Hamilton Terrace) for high school dropouts and special needs students who wanted to get more than a GED. John devoted his life to education and activism on behalf of the people in need in the state of Louisiana, at one point even being visited by former First Lady Hillary Clinton to review the innovative teaching techniques employed by his school. He was appointed one of Bill Clinton's "Fifty Faces of Hope" during the first Clinton Administration, the honor of which only one person per state received.
After his long and distinguished career, John did not retire. Instead, he and his wife Marilyn started lecturing on cruise ships, traveling the world. A devout Episcopalian, after his wife became too ill to travel, John devoted all of his time taking care of her and working for Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Shreveport, where they were married in 1976. He even served as Senior Warden of the church for several years before health conditions caused him to give up that position.
As one of John's long-time friends who still lives in Bernice said recently, "I had so much respect and admiration for [John] and the vigor he loaned to each cause he believed in, regardless of public opinion." There is probably no better way to sum up the life of John W. Baldwin in one sentence than that. He will be truly missed by many friends, former students, and former co-workers all across the state whose lives he touched with much caring and compassion. He was taken from us far too soon.
Services will be held at Holy Cross at 3:00 pm on Saturday, November 13, 2010, with a reception afterward at the Hamilton Terrace School, hosted by his adopted daughter Sandra Allen-Foster.
John is survived by his brother Robert Baldwin and his wife Lynda, their children West and Parker Baldwin, all of Bernice; his brother Christopher Baldwin of Dallas, and his daughter Sandra Allen-Foster of Shreveport.
"May there be no moaning of the bar when I put out to sea." Blessed be, brother.