Leonard L. Baird's Obituary
Leonard Lynn Baird was born December 29, 1939, in Wichita, Kansas. He was the son of Thomas Russel Baird and Edith (Forward) Baird Adams. Leonard passed away surrounded by family on December 10, 2023, at Southwest General Hospital. He was 83.
Len is survived by his wife Rosanne, son William R. Baird, daughter Diana M. (Baird) Ragan and son-in-law Stephen L. Ragan, grandchildren Noah B. Ragan, Amelia G. Ragan, and Nicholas A. Baird. He is also survived by his sister MaeBelle (Rudy) Wunderlin. Len was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Melvin (Inge) and Rodney (Audrey) Baird, and sister June (Bob) Corso.
Len grew up in Los Angeles and as a boy he bought avocados for one cent each and body-surfed in the Pacific Ocean. He and Rosanne met in a psychology class in their senior year of college. Len received his Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees from UCLA. C. Robert Pace was his major professional influencer, advisor, and friend.
After graduate school, Len worked as a higher education researcher at The American College Testing Program (ACT) in Iowa City, Iowa. John L. Holland was his mentor and friend. Later Len did research at Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, NJ. While there his book The Elite Schools: A Profile of Prestigious Independent Schools was published. Len wrote chapters in books and numerous articles in peer reviewed journals. Throughout his career, Len was cited over 1,000 times for his work in higher education.
As a Professor, Len continued to publish papers, taught, and advised graduate students, first at the University of Kentucky and then at THE Ohio State University. While at OSU, Len began a new adventure as the Editor of The Journal of Higher Education, the top journal in the field. In 1991 Len was proud to receive the Sidney Suslow Scholar Award for research contributions to the field. In retirement, Len and Rosanne enjoyed family and traveling.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The American Heart Association or The Ohio State University Theatre Development Fund #302670.
Arrangements are made by Jardine Funeral Home. Viewing on Friday December 15 from 3-7 PM, Service on Saturday December 16 at 12 noon, at JARDINE FUNERAL HOME, 15822 Pearl Road, Strongsville. Interment at Strongsville Cemetery.
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