Walter Ransom Gail Baker
{{Short description|American electrical engineer (1892–1960)}}
{{other people|Walter Baker}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Walter Ransom Gail Baker
| image = Walter R G Baker.jpg
| caption = Walter R. G. Baker
| birth_date = {{birth date|1892|11|30}}{{cite book|title=Televiser, Volumes 1-1946|publisher=Television Publications|year=1944|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wUsvAQAAIAAJ&q=Walter+Ransom+Gail+Baker+1892}}
| birth_place = Lockport, New York
| death_date = {{death date and age|1960|10|30|1892|11|30}}{{cite book|title=Transactions - American Geophysical Union|year=1961|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J51VAAAAMAAJ&q=Walter+Ransom+Gail+Baker+died|last1=Union|first1=American Geophysical}}
| death_place = Syracuse, New York, U.S.
| nationality = American
| field = Electrical engineering
| work_institution =
| alma_mater = Union College
| doctoral_advisor =
| awards = IEEE Medal of Honor {{small|(1952)}}
IEEE Founders Medal {{small|(1958)}}
}}
Walter Ransom Gail Baker (November 30, 1892 – October 30, 1960) was an American electrical engineer.{{cite journal|title=Obituary: Walter R. G. Baker|journal=Physics Today|date=January 1961|volume=14|issue=1|pages=98|url=http://www.physicstoday.org/resource/1/phtoad/v14/i1/p98_s1?bypassSSO=1|doi=10.1063/1.3057377|url-access=subscription}} He was a vice president of General Electric, and was Director of Engineering for the Radio Manufacturers Association (now the Electronic Industries Alliance). At the urging of James Lawrence Fly, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Baker founded the National Television System Committee, or NTSC, in 1940.Donald G. Fink, [http://www.ntsc-tv.com/ntsc-main-01.htm The Forces at Work Behind the NTSC Standards], a paper presented at the 122nd annual SMPTE Technical Conference, November 9–14, 1980, New York, N.Y.{{cite web|url=http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Walter_Baker |title=Walter Baker |work=IEEE Global History Network |publisher=IEEE |access-date=2010-11-20}} He served as president of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) in 1947.
Biography
He was born in Lockport, New York, in 1892. He graduated from Union College with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1916. He took a job with General Electric in 1916 and worked on radio for military applications during World War I.
He received a M.S. in electrical engineering from Union College, in 1919.
He died on October 30, 1960.{{cite news |title=Dr. W.R.G. Baker, TV Pioneer, Dead. Vice President for Research at Syracuse Was Former General Electric Officer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/10/31/archives/drirgbaker-tv-pioneer-dead-vice-president-for-research-at-syracuse-.html |quote= The scientist, whose full name was Walter Ransom Gail Baker, was born in Lockport. He graduated in 1916 from Union College, later receiving a master ... |work=New York Times |date=October 31, 1960 |access-date=2010-11-20 }}
Awards and honors
Walter Baker received following awards and honors:
- The SMPTE David Sarnoff Medal in 1959
- The IRE Founders Award in 1958
- The Army Medal of Freedom in 1953
- The IRE Medal of Honor in 1952
- Eminent Member of Eta Kappa Nu in 1954
- IRE Fellow in 1928
- The initially called W.R.G. Baker Award provided by the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), was created in 1956 from a donation from Dr. Walter R. G. Baker to the IRE. The award continued to be awarded as IEEE W.R.G. Baker Award by the board of directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), after the IRE organization merged into the IEEE.{{cite web|url=http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/recognitions/baker.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406071738/http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/recognitions/baker.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 6, 2010 |title=IEEE W.R.G. Baker Award |publisher=IEEE |access-date=November 20, 2010}}
The call sign of (then)-General Electric owned television station in Schenectady, WRGB (then an NBC station, it joined CBS in 1981), was chosen in his honor.
References
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{{IEEE Medal of Honor}}
{{IEEE Founders Medal}}
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Category:American electrical engineers