urn:taro:utexas.cah.02475 A Guide to the Judge Wayne R. Baker Oral History Collection, 1998 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. March 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Baker, Wayne R., b. 1923 Baker, Wayne R., Oral History Collection 1998 Materials are written in English. 2001-170 1 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Consisting of eight audiotapes with accompanying transcripts, the Judge Wayne R. Baker Oral History Collection, 1998, documents Baker’s experiences as a young man and his role in the development of Polk County, Texas. Biographical Note

Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Wayne Reed Baker (b. 1923) was the son of Willy Wren Baker and Violater Goodson. Soon after his birth, the Baker family moved to Tomball, Texas. Graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1940, Baker worked in a Houston shipyard for three years before joining the United States Air Corps during World War II. Following his service, he settled in rural Polk County, where he served as county commissioner and eventually as county judge.

 Scope and Contents

Consisting of eight audiotapes with accompanying transcripts, the Judge Wayne R. Baker Oral History Collection, 1998, documents Baker’s experiences as a young man and his role in the development of Polk County, Texas. During his interview with George Hollenbeck, Baker discusses his childhood growing up in Port Arthur, his experiences working in the Houston shipbuilding industry, his service in World War II, his political advancement in Polk County, and his familial affairs.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Baker, Wayne R., b. 1923 -- Archives. Hollenbeck, George. Baker family. Subjects Judges -- Texas -- History -- 20th century. Shipbuilding industry -- Employees -- Texas -- History. World War, 1939-1945 -- Biography. Places Houston (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century. Polk County (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century. Port Arthur (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century. Preferred Citation

Judge Wayne R. Baker Oral History Collection, 1998, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 3E316 Transcripts, 1998 2X81c Audiotapes, 1998