E. Jo Baker-Henry, of Atlanta, on Sept. 23. Baker left a lasting legacy to Georgia Tech through the establishment of the President’s Scholarship Program. Baker received her law degree from Atlanta Law School in 1948 before deciding to change directions and pursue a career in psychology. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in general psychology from Emory University and a doctoral degree in experimental psychology from Emory in 1962. She then taught psychology at Georgia Tech for the next 16 years. In 1978, she was given a one-year appointment as assistant to the vice president for academic affairs at Georgia Tech. She later accepted the position of associate vice president for academic affairs, a title she held until her retirement in 1993. In this role, Baker established Tech’s first-ever merit scholarship, the President’s Scholarship Program. The program was established to attract and reward students who combine high academic achievement with strong leadership, and proved to be a powerful tool for recruiting high-achieving students. Today, the President’s Scholarship is offered annually to the top 2 percent of high school seniors from across the United States who enroll at Georgia Tech. Forty students are ultimately selected for the program. Baker’s memory also remains through the Dr. E. Jo Baker Outstanding President’s Scholar Award, which is given annually to the senior President’s Scholar who best demonstrates significance in each of the four pillars of the program: scholarship, leadership, service and progress. Baker helped to change the lives of hundreds of students who have gone on to become national and international leaders in their fields.
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