Theodore Baird (February 28, 1901 – December 29, 1996) was an American academic and Samuel Williston Professor of English, ''emeritus'', at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

. From 1927 to 1969 he taught students a wide range of literature, and was the creator of the English 1-2, the college's highly regarded freshman composition course. Baird and his wife commissioned

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

to design their home, the Theodore Baird Residence.

Early life and education

Theodor Baird, son of Silas and Emma (née Lane) Baird, was born in Warren Township, Trumbull, Ohio, on February 28, 1901. He completed his baccalaureate degree at Hobart College. In 1928 he married Frances Halliburton Titchenor, who was on the faculty of

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

. Baird he earned a master's degree and a 1929 Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

with his dissertation, ''The Life and Worlds of George Colman the Elder''.

Career

Before joining the Amherst faculty as an instructor, Baird taught briefly at

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He joined the Amherst faculty in 1927 and retired in 1969. Baird "...was the creator of the college's highly regarded freshman composition course", the subject of Robin Varnum's history of Baird's innovative techniques, ''Fencing with Words''. Central techniques included the use of assignment sequences, the use of student writing as class texts, the insistence that students write from experience, the determination to have students recognize themselves as makers of meaning and then to assume responsibility for their work--all elements of writing classes that became important in the 1970s and have endured. Baird wrote very little about the course. His influence survives in the teaching and writing of colleagues and of colleagues' students. Citing a list given her by William Pritchard, Varnum names " William E. Coles, Jr.,

Roger Sale Roger Sale (1932–May 11, 2017) was an American literary critic and author, brother of Kirkpatrick Sale and father of Tim Sale. He spent most of his career as a professor of English at the University of Washington. Children's literature Sale's i ...

, Walker Gibson, Benjamin DeMott, William R. Taylor, Jonathan Bishop, John Butler,

Richard Poirier Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

, and Armour Craig," along with Pritchard himself as the teachers and Amherst alumni most influenced by Baird. She adds the name of Reuben Brower. She cites David Bartholomae as part of the second generation influenced by Baird. Bartholomae wrote his graduate dissertation in literature under the direction of Richard Poirier and went on to work with William Coles at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. Baird and his wife were interested in the architecture of

, and their Amherst "

Usonian Usonia () is a word that was used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to the United States in general (in preference to ''America''), and more specifically to his vision for the landscape of the country, including the planning of ...

house", designed in 1939, was built in 1940 at a cost of $8000. It is the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in Massachusetts. File:Baird-house.jpg, Theodore Baird residence File:Powers and Bust of Theodore Baird.jpg, Bust of Theodore Baird, by

Susan Mohl Powers Susan Mohl Powers (1944 – 2023), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was a contemporary artist who sculpted in polygon and planar metal as well as sewn fabric, blending art and science to design sculptures and fabric-on-canvas paintings. The owner o ...

Selected publications

* Baird, Theodore, ed. (1931)''. The First Years: Selections from Autobiography.'' * Baird, Theodore. (1936). "The Time-Scheme of Tristram Shandy and a Source." PMLA/Publications of the

Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "st ...

of America, 51(3), 803-820. DOI:10.2307/458270. * Baird, Theodore. (Autumn 1946) "Darwin and the Tangled Bank" ''

The American Scholar "The American Scholar" was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson on August 31, 1837, to the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard College at the First Parish in Cambridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was invited to speak in recognition of his gr ...

,'' Vol. 15, No. 4 , pp. 477-486 (10 pages) Publisher: The

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

society. * Baird, Theodore (April 1949)''. "''Sympathy: the Broken Mirror." ''

American Scientist __NOTOC__ ''American Scientist'' (informally abbreviated ''AmSci'') is an American bimonthly science and technology magazine published since 1913 by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. In the beginning of 2000s the headquarters was in New ...

,'' Vol. 37, No. 2 , publisher: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, pp. 255-261 (7 pages). * Baird, Theodore (Spring, 1958). "The World Turned Upside Down,"''The American Scholar,'' Vol. 27, No. 2 ,

Phi Beta Kappa Society The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ar ...

, pp. 215-223 (9 pages). * Theodore Baird. (published posthumously, July 1, 1999) ''Most of It, Essays on Language and the Imagination'', William H. Pritchard, ed. * Baird, Theodore (published posthumously, Fall 2002) "Try to Establish a Conversation: An Oral History" Theodore Baird, ''Writing on the Edge,'' Vol. 13, No. 1 , pp. 97-112 (16 pages) Published By:

Regents of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sy ...

, on behalf of its Davis University Writing Program. * Baird, Theodore (published posthumously, 2005
English at Amherst: a history
William H. Pritchard, ed., Amherst College Press, 2005. 288 pp.

Awards, honors

* Baird held the named professorship, Samuel Williston Professor of English. * He became

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

upon his retirement in 1969.

References

External links

Reflections on Amherst and "English 1" (2 audio tapes)

Theodore and Frances Titchener Baird Papers
at the Amherst College Archives & Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Theodore 1901 births 1996 deaths Amherst College faculty Harvard University alumni People from Trumbull County, Ohio People from Amherst, Massachusetts