By Beacon Staff
When Mary Baker was elected to the Burlington City Council at the age of 73, she shattered two glass ceilings. She was the first Black woman to win a seat on the council, as well as the oldest person to achieve the distinction.
Baker died Monday, Jan. 31 at the age of 94, and her impact stretched well beyond her time on the council. Her kindness was seeded into the community in tiny ways, growing roots of inspiration.
"I had the honor of getting to know Mary back when I was the city/county reporter at The Hawk Eye. She was honest, kind, and always had a minute to chat. She made Burlington a better place on and off of the council. The city's loss is profound, and her legacy is lasting," said Jeff Abell, owner and publisher of The Burlington Beacon.
Nearly everyone in town knew Mary Baker. They knew her as one of the sweetest ladies in Burlington, well before she started looking at a council seat.
“She never knew a stranger and always had a kind word for everyone,” said Baker’s neighbor Kathy Peterson Geren, who lived next door to Baker for more than 45 years.
Born in Burlington in 1928, Baker graduated from Burlington High School in 1945. According to her recollection, she was the only Black student in her elementary class.
After graduating high school, Baker left home for the first time in her life to attend the Crescent School of Beauty Culture in Des Moines. She graduated just a couple of years later.
Baker also worked the gift-wrapping counter and elevators at JS Schramm Co., before going to work for Sylvania for a number of years, until it closed. She started working at Champion Spark Plug three weeks later in 1969, where she was an active union member, retiring in 1992.
The end of Baker’s professional life marked the beginning of an even more active presence in the Burlington community. She was often one of the first faces to welcome strangers to town, volunteering with the Burlington Ambassadors.
She was also a big Burlington Grayhounds fan and liked to donate her time to the schools.
“We used to have picnics in South Hill Park once a month. All the neighbors came for the potluck. Mary loved those times. We also had a Top of the Town event at the park once a year. The whole community was invited,” Geren said.
Baker married the love of her life, Vernon Baker, in 1949, and stayed by his side until his death in 1997. She was often seen on the bleachers at Burlington High School games, cheering on her grandsons.
As she got older, Baker shared her stories of growing up as a Black woman in the 1950s and 60s, stories about prejudice that were sadly all too common.
“She told how when she went to the movies, she had to stand at the back of the line to get in,” Geren said.
Baker found refuge in planting flowers and through her service to God. She was an active member of St. John A.M.E. Church, and rarely missed a Sunday service.
Despite her kindness, or perhaps because of it, Baker was always upfront with her opinions. She was no shrinking violet.
"I thought she was great. Plainspoken ... she proved that age was not a barrier in serving her community," said Jon Billups, mayor of Burlington.
"Mary was the most honest council person I worked with," said former Burlington City Council member Tim Scott. "She said what was on her mind without concern for political correctness. I certainly admired her for that. Everything Mary said and did came from the heart. God blessed her and all that had a chance to meet her."
Des Moines County Supervisor and former Burlington mayor Shane McCampbell called Baker a “trailblazer.” McCampbell become Burlington’s first Black mayor in 2014.
“The thing about a trailblazer is, they have to go through first and cut everything down,” he said, citing Baker and the late mayor pro-tem Garry Thomas as paving the way for him. “I would not be in this position without them.”
Aside from her role as a city trailblazer, McCampbell said Baker was just a lovely woman.
“She was very nice to me. Her heart was in the right place. And she wanted to make a difference in her community,” he said.
That kindness was known throughout Burlington, requiring little in the way of publicity for her council run.
“She didn’t put out very many campaign signs,” McCampbell said.
Baker was also heavily involved with the Iowa League of Cities, and was a great ambassador for the city, according to former Burlington mayor and Des Moines County supervisor Jeff Heland.
“Mary was just fabulous. She was very pointed,” Heland said.
Though Heland never actually served at the same time as Baker, he came to know her well, like most of Burlington.
“Everyone who knew her loved her, of course,” Heland said.
Funeral Service
Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 11 at Prugh-Thielen Funeral Home. The funeral service for Mrs. Baker will start an hour later, at 11 a.m.
The Rev. Orlando Dial will serve as the officiant. Burial will be held at a later date as cremation has been accorded per her wishes. A time of food and fellowship will be held in the community room at Prugh-Thielen Funeral Home following the service.