Stephen P. Baker, former vice president of community affairs and dean of athletics, passed away on April 3. He was a valued member of the Cooper community for 51 years.

Baker came to Cooper in 1966, when he was hired to serve as a physical education instructor. After the physical education program was discontinued, he remained at Cooper as the associate dean of students and was promoted in 2012 to dean of athletics.

Throughout his time at The Cooper Union, Dean Baker was described as a one-man-athletics department in a school where academics are the priority. His motto was “no gym, no courts, no fields, no pool, no horses, no time … no excuses.” He built championship teams consisting of students who studied and attended classes an average of 60 to 80 hours a week. He supported the student teams through a mixture of great coaching, appreciation for their studiousness, and humor. One story has it that when the 1996 women’s tennis team played only one match during their inaugural year, Dean Baker created shirts for the team that read: “Women’s Tennis at Cooper Union, Undefeated since 1859.”

Michael Potenza, who earned his bachelors of engineering in 1991 and his masters in 1993, recently wrote to his fellow alumni: “Dean Baker has touched all of our lives in some positive way, and I know we will all miss him. He was such a large personality, he could take over any room he entered. Without him being with us, the world is a quieter place, but not in a good way.” Potenza, who remained friends with Baker long after graduation, added, “He meant so much to the school and touched so many lives.”

Baker, who retired in 2017, took great pride in working with his student athletes and was known for hosting ski trips, golf tournaments and alumni events. A native New Yorker, he kept a large copy of a photo of Yankee Stadium’s 1923 opening day on his office wall. He’d happily explain its significance, which went beyond his love of baseball: though his father and mother hadn't yet met, both could be spotted in the photograph, standing far from each other but within the camera’s range.

Baker described the students he worked with as problem-solvers with a great work ethic. And because of his own dedication and resourcefulness, many Cooper students received a fuller academic experience through athletics. In recognition of all his contributions, the Cooper Union Alumni Association Executive Committee named him Honorary Alumnus of the year in 2013.

The Dean Baker Athletics and Recreation Fund supports continued access to sports for Cooper students. All donations can be made here.

When he retired, he wrote a letter to the Cooper community, praising the generations of students he worked with, thanking them “for making me a better person,” and signing off with his characteristic levity, “Thanks and CU later, Dean Baker.”

A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 17 at St. Gregory the Great Church in Danbury, CT.