Services held for local historian
HUNTSVILLE — A memorial service was to have been held here yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) for local historian Irene B. Baker, who died Sunday in Knoxville. She was 84.
A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and World War II, Baker served as Scott County Historian and Archivist for many years, and was a driving force behind the establishment of the Scott County Historical Society. Since it was chartered in 1984, Baker served as the Historical Society’s only president to date.
Baker was instrumental in acquiring the century-old Doisy House in Huntsville as a historical museum of sorts, and later personally guaranteed a loan to build the SCHS Archives Building, where the work of the Society goes on. Under her direction, the Society has acquired and published more than 85 books on the history of Scott County and its families, and she helped innumerable people research their heritage. She devoted her life to preserving the history of Scott County, and until a sudden illness six weeks ago, she still spent several mornings each week working at the Archives.
Born Irene Bernice Sobodoski on Sept. 9, 1924, in Detroit, Mich., Baker was a first-generation American. She was the daughter of Josephine Podloski Sobodoski and Frank Sobodoski, who immigrated from Poland to the United States as children. Her parents proudly embraced their adopted country and instilled in their two daughters — Irene and Brtha — a deep love for America and its opportunities.
Both Frank and Josephine were proud to become American citizens as young adults. Frank volunteered and served his country in the military during World War I. Josephine was a seamstress and upholsterer, and although Frank never learned to read or write English, he was a very successful businessman and operated his own tool and die shop. Irene worked for her father while she was in high school and for a few years after. She later worked for Fischer Body and Chrysler Corporation.
She met her future husband, James Toomey (J.T.) Baker, in Detroit and they were married in Las Vegas, Nev. They lived in Canoga Park, Calif., for several years and worked in the aerospace industry during its peak during the late1960s. After that industry had a downturn, she and J.T. moved to Huntsville, Tenn., where he helped establish the Huntsville Utility District and was its manager until shortly before his death in 1994. Irene helped set up the HUD records and was clerk for the Town of Huntsville. She had a long career with the Tennessee Department of Human Resources in Huntsville and was a supervisor when she retired in 1994.