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2018 SESSION

18106567D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 331
Offered February 22, 2018
Celebrating the life of Thomas Carr Baker.
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Patrons-- Collins and LaRock; Senator: Vogel
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WHEREAS, Thomas Carr Baker, who helped brighten the lives of children with cancer as a founder of Camp Fantastic in Winchester, died on January 12, 2018; and

WHEREAS, a native of Winchester, Thomas “Tom” Carr Baker attended Handley High School, where he was elected class president, and later earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; and

WHEREAS, Tom Baker pursued a career with Westinghouse and conducted electrical work on the submarine USS Ethan Allen; he returned to Winchester in 1963 and worked at his father’s electrical contracting business, Baker & Anderson; and

WHEREAS, Tom Baker later worked in real estate development and as a residential home builder, then established a successful warehouse and storage unit business, which he sold upon his well-earned retirement in 1996; and

WHEREAS, after Tom Baker and his wife, Sheila, lost their oldest daughter to cancer, the couple sought out ways to help other children and families through difficult times; inspired by a summer camp for children with cancer in New York, they worked with officials from the National Institutes of Health and the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational and Conference Center in Front Royal to establish Camp Fantastic in 1983; and

WHEREAS, Camp Fantastic, a fun-filled, weeklong program of camping and outdoor activities, gives children struggling with cancer an opportunity to enjoy things that other children take for granted in a supportive, caring environment; with the leadership of Tom and Sheila Baker, the program has grown to serve more than 100 children each summer, with some former campers now serving as counselors; and

WHEREAS, Tom and Sheila Baker donated their first home and three acres of land for the creation of the Youth Development Center to better serve young people in Winchester and founded the nonprofit organization Special Love to support Camp Fantastic; and

WHEREAS, Tom Baker was a longtime member and past president of the Rotary Club of Winchester, and he received many awards and accolades, including recognition as one of the Washingtonians of the Year by Washingtonian magazine; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by his daughter, Julie, Tom Baker will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 56 years, Sheila; children, Mark and Katie, and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and Camp Fantastic attendees; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Thomas Carr Baker; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Thomas Carr Baker as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.