Sylvester H. "Slam" Baker
October 16, 1923 - July 27, 2006
 Sylvester
Herman Baker, 79, perished in an accidental house fire in Parker,
Fla., on July 27, 2006. He was the son of Clinton and Cloto Johnson
Baker, born Oct. 16, 1926 in Alton, Illinois.Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1945. He served in West Germany with the U.S. Army of Occupation through the end of the Berlin Airlift. He returned to the U.S. in 1949 and transferred to the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., rising to the rank of Master Sergeant. He was a proud member of the highly successful 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, known as the “Triple Nickle,” the first all-African American parachute unit activated in 1944. He was called up for the Korean War, where he performed paratroop duty with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. From 1954 to 1958, he served with the U.S. Air Force at Middlesex, England, including a deployment to North Africa. He was then stationed at Spokane International Airport and at Mather AFB, Calif. A talented musician, he traveled through Central and South America playing bass with a jazz quartet of Air Force musicians. He retired from active duty in 1966. He retained his association with the Air Force in retirement, serving as a civilian sports coordinator and coach in Spain, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines, as well as at Tyndall AFB. He was best known by his nickname “Slam,” which he earned as an avid tennis player and coach. Much of his life was dedicated to the love of his genetic and military families, friendship, and his spiritual practice of the Bahá’í Faith. The central beliefs of the faith in the oneness of humanity and worldwide unity were well suited to Mr. Baker’s perspective of life. Though a Panama City resident, he used his faith to serve humanity wherever he went in the world. In the early 1970s, he served as a Bahá’í teacher in Ecuador. In 1986 he joined his beloved Voices of Bahá, an international choir of 160 voices. He performed at the dedication of the “Lotus Temple,” the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi, India; at the Bahá’í Second World Congress in New York City in 1992 and at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2002; on European tours in 2001 and 2003; and on a tour of the Caribbean in 2004. Mr. Baker was active in Panama City military retiree activities and the community at large. His biting wit, wonderful humor, sincere kindness, and fiery straight talk endeared him to all whose paths his life crossed. He was preceded in death by his brother Clinton Baker and his sister Naomi Maxwell. He is survived by his eldest sister Josephine Beckwith of Alton, currently residing in Augusta, Ga.; his youngest sister Victoria Younge of San Diego, Calif.; and his brother Wesley Baker of Kampala, Uganda in East Africa. He leaves behind several generations of nieces and nephews and many devoted friends in the Bahá’í Faith communities of Bay and Gulf Counties. Interment took place at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola on Aug. 14 at 2 p.m. A memorial service was held at Tyndall AFB Chapel 2 on Friday, Aug. 24, 2006 at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to one of Sylvester’s favorite community organizations, “Michael Grady and the New Gulf Coast Choir, Inc.,” c/o Cecile Scoon, Atty., 25 E. 8th St., Panama City 32401. Notes added 18 October 2006: Based on the final coroner's report, it appears Slam died prior to the fire that destroyed his home. We have added photos of Slam's grave marker at Barrancas National Cemetery. Thanks, Lionel. |
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Photo Gallery: Burial at Barrancas National Cemetery, August 14, 2006 Photo Gallery: Memorial Service at Tyndall AFB, August 24, 2006 Photo Gallery: Slide Presentation Shown at Memorial Service Photo Gallery: Grave Marker at Barrancas National Cemetery Memorial Program Brochure (PDF format, 3.9MB) Letter of Condolence from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States (PDF format, 57KB) |