Jeannine Baker, director of the Office of Student
Financial Services at the School of Nursing
from 1992 to 2004, died from brain cancer on Jan. 17 at the
Gilchrist Center. She was 58.
Before joining the School of Nursing in 1991 as
assistant director of financial aid, she had
worked for six years on the Homewood campus.
"Jeannine was focused and tireless," said Phyllis
Wilcox, whom Baker brought in as assistant
director in 1994. "She very much enjoyed being a problem
solver for nursing students who needed
funding for their Hopkins education. She served the
students at the School of Nursing with fairness,
compassion and great enthusiasm."
Anne E. Belcher, senior associate dean for academic
affairs at the school, said, "Jeannine's
priority was always finding financial support for
applicants and for students in the academic programs.
I was always confident that she would do everything
possible to help individuals to secure the
scholarships and loans they needed to enroll in and
graduate from the school. Once Jeannine was
diagnosed with cancer, I saw another amazing side of her,
which was her sense of humor and
determination, an impressive and inspiring combination."
"Jeannine took great pride in the accomplishments of
our students, enjoyed congratulating them
as they crossed the stage on graduation day and followed
their careers with interest," said Sandra
Angell, associate dean for student affairs.
Baker left Johns Hopkins in late 2004 because of her
failing health. In a resignation letter to
Dean Martha Hill, Baker wrote that she had had the
"pleasure of welcoming hundreds of bright, eager
young nursing students and watching them emerge as Hopkins
nurses." During her illness, Baker said,
she had "benefited greatly from [the students'] care,
competence and compassion" and noted that
"they have been well prepared."
Baker's own compassion carried through to her personal
interests, which included marching to
support civil rights, participating in peace demonstrations
during the Vietnam and Iraqi wars and
volunteering on Johns Hopkins' AIDS ward.
"Her many interests beyond work stand today as a
testament to the passion she had for life,"
Wilcox said.
According to a death notice in The Sun, Baker
is survived by her partner, her children and their
husbands, her grandchildren, stepchildren and siblings.
A memorial service was held Jan. 27 at the
Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C.
Donations in her memory may be made to the McCann Fund for
AIDS Ministry, c/o the Metropolitan
Community Church, 474 Ridge St., N.W., Washington, DC
20001.