J oe Baker Jr., chief staff officer of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry for 37 years (1955–1992), died Feb. 8, 2013, just two days shy of his 86th birthday.
Joe’s contributions to the industry and AWCI—even well before it was AWCI—were numerous. For his contributions, when he retired in 1992 Joe was granted lifetime Honorary Member status in AWCI and presented with the Pinnacle Award, AWCI’s highest honors.
When Joe was named executive secretary of the Contracting Plasterers’ International Association (CPIA) at its 1955 convention in Pittsburgh, the membership consisted of fewer than 300 contractors and dues were $65 a year. Today AWCI has more than 2,000 members.
A 1992 article in this magazine noted that Joe “made sure that AWCI’s membership receive[d] full credit for the changes, building consensus and agreement on directions in which to proceed. But he has been the catalyst.” Among his list of accomplishments are these:
• Joe built AWCI’s chartered chapter program from scratch, visiting numerous state and local associations throughout the United States and Canada and working out agreements that would be mutually beneficial to all parties.
• He saw each step in the evolution of AWCI, from when the Contracting Plasterers’ International Association became the Contracting Plasterers’ and Lathers’ International Association in 1955, and then that became the international association of Wall and Ceiling Contractors in 1969. In 1976 iaWCC merged with the Gypsum Drywall Contractors International to form iaWCC/GDCI, and three years later it became the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industries—International. Joe made this merger possible, and for the first time the entire industry could speak with one voice through AWCI.
• Joe enabled AWCI to serve nonunion as well as union members. Originally composed of 100% union membership, by 1976 the organization recognized a growing trend and established an open shop committee. Joe also started the Council of Union Contractors, which today is still operating but as the Union Contractors Council.
• Joe helped found the Exterior Insulation Manufacturers Association (today it is the EIFS Industry Members Association) and promoted EIFS to members at a time when this was a brand new technology.
• Joe helped found the American Subcontractors Association, an organization representing all subcontracting industries in construction, and worked closely with that organization for many years. In recognition of his service to the industry, ASA presented him with its highest honor, the John H. Hampshire Award, in 1987.
• Joe supported investigation into asbestos abatement, and in 1979 AWCI held the first ever asbestos abatement seminar in the United States, followed by the establishment of the Asbestos Abatement Council to allow AWCI members to serve this growing niche.
• AWCI’s Wall and Ceiling Political Action Committee became one of the most influential political action committees in Washington under Joe’s stewardship. The fifth largest PAC in the construction industry, at its peak WAC/PAC was able to distribute some $120,000.
• Joe’s political contacts in Washington benefited AWCI immensely over the years, giving its members influence far greater than they could have achieved otherwise. AWCI members visited every U.S. president from Eisenhower through Bush, and “I’m a friend of Joe Baker’s” opened doors to Congressmen and Senators throughout the city.
Born in Asheville, N.C., Joe Baker’s background prior to his association work includes attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Rings Point, N.Y., and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He received a degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee and during the early 1950s was a salesman for Eckington Building Supply Co. in Washington, D.C., where his enthusiasm and willingness to work attracted the CPIA. Its officials hired him as the eastern field representative, later naming him executive secretary. And the rest is history.
Joe couldn’t sit still when at his home in Maryland, either. Here are some of his affiliations over his lifetime:
• He ran for Congress in 1962. In fact, over his lifetime, Joe was a member of more than 50 “steering committees” for candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
• He was a founding member and later chairman of the Republican Organization of Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
• He was founder and 5th Congressional District Chairman, Goldwater for President Committee of Maryland, in 1964. He was also a delegate to the Republican National Convention that year.
• In addition to all this, Joe was also very active in his church as well as many local service clubs like the Kiwanis and Elks.
Joe’s 37-year tenure with AWCI saw many innovations in the industry and the association, many of which are still in use today.
Joe is survived by his wife, Camilla Lacy Baker, and their daughter. He is also survived by his first wife and their four children.
Memorial Contributions may be made to The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Foundation in memory of Joseph M. Baker Jr., Class of 1947. Please make your check payable to the USMMA Alumni Foundation Inc. (Tax ID 11-6037948) and mail to P.O. Box 222011, Great Neck, NY 11022.
