Helen Carey Baker Memorial Scholarship

     Helen was born in Philadelphia, Pa on February 5, 1910. She was the 7th child and the youngest daughter of 8 children born to Joseph McCabe and Alice O’Rourke. She went to an all-girls Catholic high school in the 1920’s. Helen was smart, articulate, and loved being around people. All her life she remained close to her 4 sisters and 3 brothers.

     She was a petite freckle-faced Irish red-headed beauty who married and divorced John Gallager in 1934. This was a time when such a thing was considered a scandal by her parents, the Catholic Church, and society at large. Her husband drank too much and tried to tell Helen what to do. She was a liberated woman before woman’s liberation was a twinkle in Gloria Steinem’s eye.

     Helen married John Carey in June of 1937. At 41 she gave birth to her only child, William Rourke Carey. Unfortunately John was diagnosed with MS shortly thereafter and died after a long illness in 1960. Widowed and a single parent before the term single parent existed, Helen and Bill moved back to Philadelphia to be around her family and friends.

     At 52 Helen entered the work force in retail sales at a John Wanamaker department store. Her childhood friend Marian Glenn helped her get the job. Marian advised Helen to shave 3 years off her age when she applied at Wanamaker so she would appear to be in her 40’s. This ruse worked and Helen was hired.

     In 1967 Helen and Bill moved to Coronado, Ca to again be around family. The move was also designed to gain California residency so Bill could get into the University of California San Diego. Helen had always made sure she and Bill lived in a good school district because she knew the key for success in life for her son was a college education.  Bill received his degree in Philosophy from Revelle College.

     Through her niece, Renee Williams, Helen was hired to work at Kippy’s dress shop in Coronado. For the next 35 years, Helen was on the sales floor at Kippy’s. Her ease with people and fun demeanor endeared her to her customers, staff, and the Kipperman family. She shared her life wisdom with the many young women who worked at Kippy’s over the years. She continued working at Kippy’s until she was 92.

     Helen married Lynn Baker in 1970. She was 60. He was 49. Lynn never knew Helen was 11 years older. She was in the forefront again. After 24 years of marriage Lynn passed away in 1994. Helen was widowed again. Helen was 84 and a grandmother.

     At 87 Helen had an aortic valve replacement and 2 heart bypasses. While recuperating in the hospital Helen bought pizza for the night shift nurses. She held relationship counseling sessions in her hospital room from midnight till 4am. She was an avid listener and genuinely interested in the lives of her nurses and all the other nurses on the grave yard shift. Helen lived to be 98.

     If you are a recipient of the Helen Carey Baker scholarship, please honor her by continuing her legacy of contributing to the lives of others as you live your life.