All of us from Border Star remember Dean Baird as just a great guy! I think George Vedros ran him down and we got him to some of our events the last few years. Dean, Bill Rainen and I had bbq together at RJ's a few yea rs ago He loved his BBQ and I think we also hit Bryant's on one of his visits. He was so quiet and unassuming, none of us were ever aware of his outstanding teaching career. WOW! He loved riding his bike and usually had it on the back of his vehicle. He left SW after our 8th grade year. I had Miss Koger for CL and Dean was in the class with me. We had a lot of good laughs that year! You Red Haired Hippie, we all are missing you. RIP!
Earlier this month, longtime faculty member Dean Baird passed away on Aug. 2, 2022 in the comfort of his own home. Baird is survived by his daughters Elizabeth Graff, Catherine Young and Margaret St. Clair.
For nearly four decades, Dean Baird inspired Marksmen with his love of computers, while using that same passion to bring St. Mark’s technology into the modern era. Joining the Science Department in 1976, Baird taught multiple disciplines and grade levels, coached several sports and served as a longtime fifth-grade sponsor.
In 1995, he was appointed director of educational computing and tasked with “devising a strategic plan for the effective use of the computer through all areas of the school,” as prescribed in Goals for St. Mark’s III. Baird, who was eventually named chair of the Computer Science Department, undertook initiatives to provide every teacher with a computer and training and to design a computer applications curriculum for grades two through eight.
Baird continued to lead technological advancements in the classroom and across campus until his retirement in 2015. Students grew not only in their knowledge of technology, but in their understanding of leadership, thanks to his mentorship and guidance.
Baird was named Science Teacher of the Year for the state of Texas in 1985 by the Texas Academy of Science and is a past winner of the John H. Murrell Excellence in Teaching Award.+
