Dignitaries honor Baker at ceremony

Ground was broken Tuesday on the new Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy on the 80th birthday of former U.S. Sen. Howard Baker.

Baker, R-Tenn. served as Senate majority leader from 1981 to 1985 before leaving the post to become the White House chief of staff for President Reagan. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Japan after being appointed by President Bush in 2001.

Baker is well-known for his work on the Panama Canal Treaty, being the vice chairman of the Watergate hearings and also for posing the famous question, “What did the president know and when did he know it?”

Attendees at the event included Vice President Dick Cheney; Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen; U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.; and U.S. Congressmen John Duncan, R-Tenn.; Zach Wamp, R-Tenn.; and Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill.

The $15 million, 53,000-square foot Baker Center will be constructed on the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Melrose Place.

University of Tennessee President John Petersen emceed the ceremony at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Senator Baker began by expressing gratitude for the guests attending and to “the people of Tennessee for allowing me to serve.”

He talked of his friendship with Cheney and joked about their friendship.

“I used to think the only real job of the vice president was to inquire daily of the president’s health,” he laughed.

Cheney spoke of the “lifetime of service” Baker led, and said “every season of his life, he has been the type of man who commands respect.

“He is certainly one of the most accomplished citizens of our time.”

Cheney also said that it “was obvious today how much he means to this university.”

The political figures of Tennessee also paid homage to Baker. Rep. Duncan spoke about the accomplishments of who he called “The Greatest Living Tennessean.”

Sen. Alexander spoke of Tennessee’s historical political leadership and its impact on past generations.

“Now that the Baker Center is at UT we can say our children and our grandchildren will also have the privilege of being inspired and challenged (by Baker),” Alexander said.

The Baker Center has been active on campus since 2003 and has hosted many prominent speakers in more than 40 events including former Vice President Al Gore last spring, said Nissa Dahlin-Brown, assistant director of the Center.

The Center is currently housed in Hoskins Library, but will move into the new facility that will feature an auditorium, museum, classrooms, archives of Baker’s letters and other documents, as well as research space. The Center will be built entirely from private dollars, with Baker himself as the main fundraiser, Dahlin-Brown said.

During a session with the press, Baker said he wishes for the Center to become “an integral and important part of The University of Tennessee and bring a special value.”

The former senator said he plans to spend “a fairly significant” amount of time on behalf of the Center. Asked if he had any advice for students, he jokingly said, “Graduate.”

SGA President Curtis Sanderfer, senior in political science, said the new center would be a welcomed addition to campus.

“The Baker Center will be a great addition to campus and a great way to honor Sen. Baker,” he said.

Vice President Cheney’s speech was interrupted several times by protesters, who were escorted out by security.

“I thought it was pretty modest, I’ve been in a lot better,” Baker said of the protesters.

They were “not welcome but not unexpected,” he added.