Howard Baer’s Influence Evident in All Facets of St. Louis Living

(Here is a story I had published in the West End Word back in 1989.  If you are familiar with Howard F. Baer Plaza, Forest Park Forever or the Zoo-Museum District, which is why our zoo, art museum and science center all still have free admission, you know a little bit about Baer. He was born in 1902, I interviewed him when he was 87, and he didn’t pass away until 1998.)

     It has often been said that a person is a product of his environment.

     Howard F. Baer’s early surroundings were indeed a major factor for his huge success in helping improve the St. Louis cultural scene.

     Most men (and women) fritter away much of their lives by not actively pursuing their dreams.  But Baer learned at an early age that few things are more personally satisfying than following one’s visions and acting upon them.

     “Maybe I’ve been involved in so many things because I went to schools where that kind of stuff was advocated,” said Baer, who in 1924 received a (general) Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University.  Prior to that, Baer spent five years at a tough New England boarding school.

     The Central West End resident, who turned 87 this past June, boasts a lengthy resume of accomplishments.

     Most recently, Baer spearheaded a fund-raising drive through the Jewish Federation of St. Louis to help renovate the Jewish First American Settlement Tercentenary Monument near Kingshighway and Lindell boulevards.

It was only fitting that Baer be active in the renovation.  He played a major role in its original dedication on Thanksgiving Day of 1956—exactly 300 years after the first Jews arrived in what was then known as New Amsterdam. When Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman expressed interest in having a commemorative monument constructed in St. Louis, he turned to Baer.

     “He asked me, ‘Why not St. Louis?’” Baer said.  “So, I asked him what I could do.  I recommended a sculptor, Carl Mose, for the 300^th anniversary of the landing in New York City.  But it’s more than just a Jewish event because it laid the ground for all religions and people.

     “Unfortunately, over the years it had deteriorated.  An organization called Forest Park Forever came to me because they had seen my name affiliated with it.  So I went to a few people I thought would be interested in raising money.”

     Almost immediately, longtime civic leaders Stanley and Lucy Lopata contributed a large amount of money that Baer referred to as a challenge gift. 

     After renovation, the 80-inch-tall sculpture is being mounted on a granite base and placed between two existing reflecting pools.  It is scheduled for October completion.

     Although she has only assumed the position of Forest Park Manager since February, Anabeth Calkins has enjoyed working with Baer on the project.

     “He’s marvelous—a real talent,” Calkins said.  “He’s very knowledgeable about history, curious about St. Louis and he’s been the force behind some of the most positive things in the St. Louis area.”

     Nowhere has Baer’s civic accomplishments been more widely felt than within Forest Park itself.  Besides serving as the St. Louis Zoological Subdistrict Commission, Baer was longtime president of the Zoo’s board of control and vice-president of the Zoological Park Commission.

     One of Baer’s major victories occurred in the late 1980s, when he won support of shared city-county funding for the Zoo-Museum District, which encompasses the Zoo, Art Museum and Museum of Science and Natural History.

     “The Zoo belongs to the city and the tax rate did, too,” Baer said.  “But the city’s population was going down and we needed the county and its wealth.  My wife (Isabel) is fond of the Art Museum and the arts.  She persuaded me that the Museum should be included, and I agreed.”

     Baer is also credited with the creation of the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis and was an early backer of wooden directional signs in Forest Park.

     A couple of Baer’s more recent honors include the 1982 dedication of Baer Plaza, a circular plaza’s south end, and the 1983 Mayor’s Award for the Arts for Baer’s longtime investment in St. Louis cultural programs.

  “I’ve been a really lucky guy,” Baer said.  “Of course I’ve had failures, but I’ve been lucky in my public and private lives.  I don’t like to think about what-ifs.”

     Shortly after marrying the daughter of Louis P. Aloe, the Charleston, WV native moved to St. Louis in 1927 to work for the Aloe Company, which handled hospital supplies and surgical instruments.  Baer retired in 1962 as president of the firm.  Prior to that, he was the chief of specifications in the Army and Air Force medical departments during World War II.

     Baer’s other achievements include his late ‘60s work to gain passage of the $200 million bond issue for the improvement of Lambert Field.  His book, “St. Louis to Me,” offers an interesting behind-the-scenes account of the St. Louis political scene.  It has sold some 3,000 copies since it was published in 1979.

     So, what’s next on Baer’s agenda?

     “One guy said, ‘What are you going to do now?’” Baer said.  “Are you kidding?  At my age?  I told him that I’m not going to buy any green bananas!”