Patricia Baker was born on the 17th of January, 1931. She attended high school at the Northrop Collegiate School and college at the Minneapolis School of Business and William Woods College. Later, she continued her education at the University of Minnesota and Macalester College.
Baker volunteered with many organizations, including Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and the Woman's Club of Minneapolis. She served as a park commissioner for the 4th district--from Lake Calhoun to the Mississippi River, mostly between Olson Highway and Lake Street--for many years and was president of the Board several times. She was well-known for her part in convincing the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to stop charging admission fees. She died on the first of January, 1997.
Collection Description
Two boxes. This collection covers 1980-1995. It consists of correspondence, memorandums, reports and publications pertaining largely to the Minneapolis Park Board and Baker as a park commissioner.
The memos and reports topics included 1987-88: ice parks, Central River and Great River Road, shared parking, Aquatennial water fountains, high rise apartment buildings, Heritage Tree Lists, no left turns on Dean Parkway, walking/running vs. bicycling paths, Thomas Lowry Park, water studies; 1989: teen walks, regional pathways, Cedar Lake Park and trail report, crabapple tree planting, mall between Hennepin and Lake of the Isles, Calhoun Beach apartments, master plan for connecting city and regional parks; 1990: legislative session summary report, Lake Harriet Band Shell award; 1991: East Harriet Farmstead, Central Park gymnasium; 1992: Cedar Lake Park draft papers, Twin Cities osprey reintroduction program, ice skating rink hours, plan of the park system in 2002, and costs on the seasonal summary report of the recreational centers; 1993: lake water quality management, Park Board Nudity Ordinance, Park employees, Lake Calhoun Fish Advisory report and a preliminary draft of the vision for parks in the next 100 years; 1994-95: the Thomas Lowry Park Design.
The specific publications in this collection are Land Policy, 1969, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and the Robert Saddler Bird Sanctuary. Also included in the collection is Baker's work on the Governors Mansion, 1980-1981, her work on the 1988 U.S. Women's Amateur Cup held at the Minikahda Golf Course, a family photo, and an aerial view of Lake Calhoun's northwest end.
Box 1: Seventeen folders and one bound book. This box includes biographical information, address book, correspondence 1985-1995, Park Board publications.
Box 2: Ten folders. This box is memorandums and reports, 1987-1995.
Related Material
See also Special Collections Minneapolis Collection vertical subject files under Parks: Minneapolis Park Board and see periodicals
Weekly Highlights (published by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board).
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