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Staff Sergeant Fred Lee Baker

A young African American man wearing an Air Force uniform, smiling at the camera.
  • Unit: 89th Airlift Wing
  • Date of Birth: March 26, 1930
  • Entered the Military: April 20, 1951
  • Date of Death: July 17, 2001
  • Hometown: Nicholasville, Kentucky
  • Place of Death: Lexington, Kentucky
  • Award(s): National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal (2), Air Force Longevity Service Awards (3), Air Force Medal, Meritorious Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section S, Grave 376. Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, Kentucky
Contributed by Tenth Grade World History Class
Mentored by Mrs. Kathy Bess
St. Patrick School
2024/2025

Early Life

Fred Lee Baker was born on March 26, 1930, in Jessamine County, Kentucky. He came from a long line of farmers in the center of the Bluegrass State. His mother, Mary Ellen Overstreet Baker, and her siblings were born to a farm laborer in Jessamine County. His father, Henry Baker, also grew up working on a farm nearby.

In addition to laboring on a farm, Baker’s father served in the United States Army in World Wars I and II. Baker’s mother raised him and his six siblings: Henry, James, Lester, Virginia, Richard, and George. Another sibling, William, died in infancy in 1921 of enterocolitis. Baker’s education consisted of eight years of grammar school and four years of high school. 

Fred Lee Baker with his parents and five siblings. Ancestry Classroom.
Henry Baker, Sr.’s World War II draft registration card, 1942. National Archives and Records Administration.
The Baker Family in the 1950 Federal Census in Jessamine County, Kentucky. National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

Nicholasville is the county seat of Jessamine County, which borders Fayette County, home to the city of Lexington. In the 1950s it was largely rural and boasted several scenic rivers and rock formations, including Chimney Rock. The Southern Railway ran through the county. Another landmark, High Bridge, was the tallest railroad trestle in the world and the first cantilever bridge in the country when it opened in 1877. 

Camp Nelson National Cemetery is also located in Baker’s home county. During the Civil War, Camp Nelson was the third-largest recruitment center for African Americans during the Civil War. The county also holds the town of Wilmore, home to Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary. 

During the Korean War era, The Jessamine Journal reported on issues affecting the homefront. In 1951 it featured an article about the Jessamine County Food Production Committee that encouraged people to produce and preserve their own food. Even with agriculture as the main economic activity in the county, farmers faced many challenges. In November 1953, The Jessamine Journal announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had declared Jessamine County a “Drouth [sic] Disaster County.” 

Baker’s family, who made a living from farming, no doubt experienced difficulties from the drought.

Postcard of High Bridge, Kentucky River, Southern Railway System. Courtesy of Jon Hagee.
Photograph of the Greyhound Bus Station in Lexington, Kentucky. Baker may have taken a bus from here to join the military, 1940. Kentucky Historical Society (Graphic20_Box13_101).
The Jessamine Journal declared “Jessamine Designated as Drouth Connty [sic] by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture,” November 20, 1953.

Military Experience

Early Career

Fred Baker enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on April 20, 1951. The Air Force was one of the first branches to implement President Harry S. Truman’s executive order to desegregate the military. Baker entered into active service on July 10, 1951, in Lexington, Kentucky. According to The Jessamine Journal, Baker received his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

A cook throughout his entire military career, Baker attended cooking school at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he graduated third in his class. He started as a short order cook, then rose to head cook at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In his third term, he completed Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Prep School at Sheppard AFB in Texas, where he learned to prepare “meat, poultry, eggs, waterfoods, dairy products, and special subsistence commodities.” 

According to the Air Force’s Personnel Center, “Primary differences between a famous, gourmet chef and an Air Force chef is the amount of people they feed on a daily basis; the locations where they do it–deployed, austere areas often in a war zone; as well as the required expertise in other Services-related areas, like lodging, fitness, mortuary affairs, training and internal readiness.”

Baker enlisted as an airman basic and gradually climbed the Air Force ranks. On June 15, 1955, he was promoted to airman first class. During his second term, he was promoted to airman first class E-4 (today known as senior airman) on March 25, 1958. He reached his highest rank on December 1, 1967, when he was promoted to staff sergeant.

Head Chef for Air Force One

Staff Sergeant Baker’s military career culminated in his appointment to head chef for Air Force One, in which he planned the menu and prepared all meals served aboard the presidential plane from 1968 to 1974. According to his obituary in the Lexington Herald-Leader, “During the Johnson and Nixon administrations, Mr. Baker cooked for kings, queens, shahs and astronauts. He also made sure the jet always had Johnson’s favorite food, chili, and Nixon’s favorite food, meatloaf made from Baker’s own recipe.”

According to Mr. Bob Spiers, Historian at the 89th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland: “The few veterans that are still around, that knew him, noted he was a great guy and a great Chef. He ran the Air Force One flight kitchen with a stern hand. They learned several good tips from him on food preparation.”

Baker served five terms in the Air Force and was honorably discharged from each one. He also earned numerous awards, including a National Defense Service Medal, two Good Conduct Medals, three Air Force Longevity Service Awards (AFLSA), an Air Force Medal, and a Meritorious Service Medal.

Baker retired after his fifth term of service on May 31, 1974, at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. His 23 year career in the Air Force took him from Kentucky to Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, New York, Alaska, and even Germany. He fed his countrymen and served two presidents with honor.

Staff Sergeant Fred L. Baker cooking. Find a Grave.
Photograph of Fed Baker, a native of Nicholasville, Kentucky, preparing meals on Air Force One in 1969. The Jessamine Journal, July 11, 2019.
President Nixon and Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 (Air Force One) in China, 1972. National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Veteran Experience

After Fred Baker retired from the U.S. Air Force, he settled in Lexington, Kentucky with his bride, Laura D. Batts, whom he married December 29, 1973. Baker’s father, Henry, had died at age 84 on August 31, 1973. His mother, Mary, lived until the age of 90, when she passed away on April 2, 1985. 

Baker did not slow down after his retirement. For a decade he served as a cook at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Leestown Road in Lexington, Kentucky. A dietician who worked there at the time described him as “always very neat and sharp looking.” Baker was also a part-time limousine driver and a produce company employee.

The Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where Baker worked as a cook after his retirement from the U.S. Air Force, April 6, 2008. Wikimedia Commons.

Commemoration

Fred Lee Baker passed away on July 17, 2001. He had four children: LeeAnn, Zanita, Shana, and Howard. He left a legacy of hard work and service to his country. He is buried at Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Fred Baker’s obituary from the Lexington Herald-Leader, July 20, 2001.
Fred Baker’s obituary from the The Courier-Journal, July 21, 2001.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“50 Years Ago: July 10, 1969.” The Jessamine Journal [Nicholasville, Kentucky],  July 11, 2019. Newspapers.com (593512812). 

“BAKER, Henry.” Lexington Herald-Leader [Lexington, Kentucky], September 1, 1973. Newspapers.com (685216706).

“BAKER.” Lexington Herald-Leader [Lexington, Kentucky], April 5, 1985. Newspapers.com (688596676).

Boeing VC-137C SAM 26000 (Air Force One). Photograph. National Museum of the United States Air Force (151001-F-DW547-006). https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Photos/igphoto/2001296426/. 

“Chimney Rock” on the Kentucky River. Postcard. Kentucky History. 1948. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://kyhistory.com/digital/collection/PH/id/9956/rec/29.  

“Ending a Year Should Bring Reflection on Problems for the Future.” The Jessamine Journal [Nicholasville, KY], December 18, 1953. Newspapers.com (1012969978).

“Food Production Program.” The Jessamine Journal [Nicholasville, KY], March 23, 1951. Newspapers.com (1012953672). 

“Fred Baker, ex-head chef on Air Force One, dies.” The Courier-Journal [Louisville, Kentucky], July 21, 2001. Newspapers.com (361725292).

“Fred Baker.” Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911-1999. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

“Fred Baker was chef for Nixon and Johnson on Air Force One.” Lexington Herald-Leader [Lexington, Kentucky],  July 20, 2001. Newspapers.com (692745451).

“Fred L. Baker.” Kentucky, U.S., Marriage Index, 1973-1999. Digital images.  https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Fred Lee Baker, DD-214, Department of the Air Force. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

“Future Farmers of America Week.” The Jessamine Record combined with the Wilmore News [Nicholasville, KY], February 22, 1952. Newspapers.com (1044627454). 

Henry Baker. Photograph. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com/. 

Henry Baker. U.S., Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty, 1917–1918. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Henry Baker. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. 

Henry Baker. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

High Bridge, Kentucky River, Southern Railway System. Welcome to High Bridge, Kentucky. Postcard. Frontier Fold. Accessed November 15, 2024. http://frontierfolk.org/hb/highbr12.jpg. 

“Jessamine Designated as Drouth County by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.” The Jessamine Journal [Nicholasville, KY], November 20, 1953. Newspapers.com (1012969619).

Kentucky. Jessamine County. 1900 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Kentucky. Jessamine County. 1910 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Kentucky. Jessamine County. 1920 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Kentucky. Jessamine County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com. 

Kentucky. Jessamine County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com. 

Kentucky. Jessamine County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com. 

Patrick, J. H. Jessamine County Courthouse. Photograph. Kentucky History. 1954. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://kyhistory.com/digital/collection/PH/id/6845/rec/52.  

“Service News.” The Jessamine Journal [Nicholasville, Kentucky], July 20, 1951. Newspapers.com (1013104929). 

Stone, Robert Burns. Greyhound Station, Lexington, KY. Photograph. 1940. Kentucky History. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://kyhistory.com/digital/collection/PH/id/7458/rec/18. 

William Albert Baker. Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852-1965. http://ancestryclassroom.com.  

Secondary Sources

“Air Force chefs serve recipes for success.” Air Force’s Personnel Center. Last modified August 19, 2009. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://www.afpc.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/423584/air-force-chefs-serve-recipes-for-success/. 

“Baker, Frederic Lee ‘Fred,’” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database. Accessed October 18, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/3057. 

Cline, David P. Twice Forgotten: African Americans and the Korean War, An Oral History. The University of North Carolina Press, 2021.

“E-5-staff-sergeant.” U.S. Department of Defense. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://www.defense.gov/resources/insignia/. 

“Fred Lee Baker.” Find a Grave. Updated July 2, 2011. Accessed December 18, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72500809/fred-lee-baker.  

“Fred Lee Baker.” National Cemetery Administration. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov.  

Fred Lee Baker. U.S., Veterans’ Gravesites, ca. 1775-2019. https://fold3.com.

“Fred Lee Baker.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/FREDLEEBAKER/98CD53C. 

“Korean War Introduction.” National Museum of the United States Air Force. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196090/korean-war-introduction/. 

“Plenty of Opportunities for Fun – History.” Jessamine County Tourism Commission. Last modified September 5, 2024. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.visitjessamine.com/things-to-do#history. 

Spiers, Bob. Email correspondence with author. February 14, 2025.

“Welcome to Kentucky.” City of Wilmore. Last modified 2024. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://wilmore.org/. 

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.