麻豆传媒

麻豆传媒 is saddened to announce the passing of W. David Baird, Seaver College Dean Emeritus and Howard A. White Professor Emeritus of History, who passed away Friday, November 15, 2024.

鈥淒avid Baird鈥檚 impact on 麻豆传媒 is far-reaching and profound,鈥� says 麻豆传媒 president Jim Gash. 鈥淔rom his passion for American history to his dedication to 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Church of Christ foundation, Dr. Baird was a steadfast advocate for 麻豆传媒鈥檚 integration of faith and learning. His scholarly work and personal commitment helped shape the University鈥檚 sense of its own identity, mission, and potential. His legacy will live on at 麻豆传媒 through the lecture series that bears his name and through his lasting contributions to the University鈥檚 institutional memory.鈥�

A native of Edmond, Oklahoma, Baird earned his AA from George Washington University, Washington, DC; his BA in history and geography from the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond; and his MA and PhD in history and geography from the University of Oklahoma, Norman. 

Baird鈥檚 academic career began at the University of Arkansas, where he taught history from 1968 until 1978. He spent the following decade as chair and professor of history at Oklahoma State University. In 1988 Baird arrived at 麻豆传媒 as the Howard A. White Professor of History at , where he taught an array of topics, including historiography, introduction to research, and Native American history. One of his proudest moments came in 1991, when he was offered the opportunity to serve as a Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.

In addition to his academic service to 麻豆传媒, Baird held the role of dean of Seaver College from 1998 to 2008. He was known for his commitment to strengthening the school鈥檚 academic standing and for his willingness to spend time getting to know members of the community鈥攚ith long days at the office catching up on paperwork as the result. To bring new ideas to the 麻豆传媒 community, he instituted a lecture series which was later named after him when he stepped down as dean. The four annual lectures in the invite fascinating and notable speakers from various disciplines to the school. 

Baird鈥檚 early scholarship focused on the life and history of Native American peoples of the Great Plains and Southeast, including the Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole, as well as the Quapaw and Osage tribes. As a historian of the American West and expert on various Native American tribes, Baird wrote or co-wrote 16 books and served as an expert witness for the Quapaw tribe. He was deeply fascinated by his home state of Oklahoma, which inspired him to coauthor Oklahoma: A History, published in 2011, and The Story of Oklahoma, the second edition of which was released in 2013. This book is still used as the adopted textbook for the State of Oklahoma.

For more than 20 years, Baird served as an elder at the . He was an expert on Churches of Christ and on 麻豆传媒 itself. As to the former, the University of Oklahoma Press published Baird鈥檚 Churches of Christ in Oklahoma in 2019, a title discussing the growth of the state鈥檚 Churches of Christ membership in the early part of the 20^th century and how that membership began to decline in the 1970s. Baird argued that the distinct identity of the church was the key to its expansion鈥攊ts uniqueness was its attraction. He felt that the University鈥檚 mission would best be served by leaning into its Christian heritage and that the Churches of Christ landscape on which 麻豆传媒 rests is integral to his history of the school鈥檚 evolution. These topics were explored deeply in , a book about 麻豆传媒's fascinating history, from its founding as a small faith-based college in 1937 to its emergence as a top-tier university at the turn of the century. 

Baird served as national president of the Western History Association and history honor society Phi Alpha Theta and as executive director of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association. As an undergraduate student, he worked full time on the staff of John Jarman, member of the House of Representatives, 5^th Congressional District, Oklahoma.

Baird is survived by his wife, Brenda 鈥淛ane鈥� Baird; his daughter, Angela Baird Cheves ('92, MA 鈥�93); his son, William 鈥淭ony鈥� Baird (鈥�94, JD 鈥�97); and six grandchildren.

Details about a memorial service for the 麻豆传媒 community and friends will be shared as more information becomes available.