Each month we connect with alumni who are making a difference in their careers and communities and find out how Baker helped them along their way.
Martha (West) Harris, ’79
What was the first moment that made Baker feel like home?
I became familiar with Baker starting at age 3. My dad was a Methodist minister, and he assisted with Institute and Annual Conference every year. I was here a lot, so I don’t really remember NOT being familiar with Baker. I remember sitting in the lobby of Rice Auditorium and watching Tom Russell install his frieze there. As a matter of fact, I was so familiar with Baker that I almost didn’t come here—it didn’t feel like going somewhere new for college. I couldn’t decide where else to go, so decided to come to Baker for a year until I made my choice. By Christmas break, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite classes, by a mile, were Arts and Ideas I and II with Alice Anne Callahan. I knew a lot about music, but NOTHING about art before taking those classes. I enjoyed them immensely, never expecting to see the actual works, but feeling that I was being exposed to a whole new world. My sophomore year, I went to London for three weeks and had the opportunity to seek different experiences at the numerous museums and galleries that I could appreciate more fully. Later, I had the opportunity to share much of what I learned in these classes with my kids, and I have continued to seek out things I saw in these classes as I have traveled in the world.
Who made the biggest impact on you while at Baker?
The biggest impact is a tough question. I was definitely challenged and rewarded by those in my department—especially Dr. Ron Geenens. He was in the corner of any student who was legitimately making an effort to learn. Maybe the biggest impact, though, was by the two guys that got me here. Ken Snow was amazing and really kept making contact to tell me more about Baker as a college instead of as a summer camp. The kicker was Ron Bogle—he called me while I was babysitting for neighbor to see if I was coming. In the “old days” before cell phones, he had taken the time to track me down to talk with me that day. Was that creepy or amazing? I went with amazing.
What are two things that you would tell current students?
Two things? Take advantage to get to know and appreciate Baker alumni—through ball teams, sororities and fraternities, meeting Trustees, hosting at university events, etc. I got the lead on my first job through [alumnus] Murray Blackwelder, who knew another Baker alum at Hallmark.
Don’t take for granted the opportunities that you have in college. Even when you are busy with sports, music, etc., this is the biggest opportunity you have to learn how to think and write and be curious—and don’t miss the chance to take really interesting or useful classes outside your major!
Can you briefly describe your career path since graduating from Baker?
My career path is not the norm in that I have been in one place for so long. After graduation, I took a job in product cost control at Hallmark. What I really wanted was to work for the FDIC (networked through meeting an examiner at the Denison State Bank—my college job), but they had to wait until my name popped up in the civil service register. I’d only been at Hallmark a few months when the FDIC called and said they could hire me, so that’s where I went. I was with them about three and a half years examining banks in northwest Missouri and the KC area before coming to Baker to teach management courses. The next year, I taught a little accounting, and Dr. Geenens wanted me to do more in that area, so I sat for the CPA exam. I’ve been here ever since, except for one year when I took a leave of absence and worked at the Resolution Trust Corporation in the marketing and consolidation of failed savings and loan associations.
What do you love about Baker the most?
It’s the people, the shared history, and the commitment to a quality education experience for our students.
Darcy Russell, ’80
What was the first moment that made Baker feel like home?
My dad and I came to Baker on an admissions visit in the summer prior to my senior year. It was not a planned visit—we were just looking at KU and dropped down to see Baker for fun. Ken Snow dropped what he was doing and gave my dad and I a campus tour. During the tour he learned that I was a science nerd and so he took us into Mulvane. As it was summer—not many people were around—but Dr. Bill Graziano was up in the physics lab. He instantly invited me to help with the lab he was designing for the fall by trying out one of the activities. I felt at home here from that moment. I had grown up on small college campuses as my dad was a college professor; I was used to the faculty talking with me. That did not happen at KU—it happened at Baker.
What was your favorite class and why?
I cannot list just one class here—impossible—so I am going to list three.
- Microbiology with Dr. Gene Nelson because this became my vocation—I became fascinated by viruses and that fascination has continued to this day.
- Arts and Ideas with Dr. Alice Ann Callahan Russell because I learned so much about art and artists, and it has balanced my life with joy. I love going to an art museum or gallery and being able to identify the artist or know something about that artist’s technique or style.
- My SWT Honors Seminar on Dante’s Inferno. I had never read epic poetry before, and I just became enamored of this literary form. Going to Revena in Italy is on my bucket list as I want to go where Dante wrote the Divine Comedy.
Who made the biggest impact on you while at Baker?
All the faculty in Mulvane—they challenged me and helped me move on to graduate study. Gene Nelson, Roger Boyd, Cal Cink, Milford White, Diane Ordway, Bill Graziano, and Ray Cyr.
What are two things that you would tell current students?
Consume knowledge; give every course your best effort as you don’t know what skills and information will help you in the future. Meet lots of people and value every person you meet; each person you interact with is a gift and a blessing.
How did your Baker experience shape your journey or career?
I did not know that I could be a scientist. I thought all people who loved science became health care professionals. Meeting the faculty at Baker showed me new pathways to pursue my passion.
Can you briefly describe your career path since graduating from Baker?
I earned my PhD in virology at Kansas State University. I did a postdoctoral study with Dr. Bob Johnston at North Carolina State and then at UNC Chapel Hill (he moved his lab in the middle of my experience). I taught for nine years at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. I taught full time here at Baker for 20 years and continue to teach on occasion now (full time from August 1998 to May 2018, several additional classes during my time as dean). I have served as dean for six and a half years (July 2018 and currently). I also served as provost (vice president of academic affairs) for two and half years (January 2022 to June 2024).
What do you love about Baker the most?
My colleagues and my students.
