He’s always liked living near water‚ and that’s a basic reason he enjoys Perth Amboy so much. That‚ and the city’s sense of its historical background and unique place in the area’s history.
Guy is now a Rutgers journalism teacher and a key person in the operation of the Journalism Resource Institute at R.U. He is a veteran newsman‚ now retired‚ who has graced the area for 25 years as a reporter for the Star Ledger.
Even as a young old-timer‚ though‚ he keeps up with what’s new in computer transmission of news‚ and friends say he likes to read news on-line. But Baehr’s reasons for going into journalism transcend “new vs. old” methods of news presentation‚ and seem almost universal. “You can change the world in some way‚” he said in what was almost a paraphrase of what many people -- such as myself -- said when they started out in journalism.
And‚ as a fellow newsman‚ I enjoyed rubbing elbows with Guy‚ and just listening as he participated in the activities of the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)‚ a group he had at one time led.
So it was with some sadness when we at SPJ learned that Baehr would be resigning from the New Jersey chapter. He’s moving to the Dominican Republic‚ where he spent two and a half years in the Peace Corps during the Vietnam War.
“I’m going to build a house there‚” he told the group. “This will be another stage in my life.”
It wasn’t only I that was sad. We all were. Baehr always added his special knowledge and flavor to the meetings.
David M. Levitt of Highland Park‚ New Jersey SPJ Past President ‚ observed: “Guy’s leaving will be a tremendous loss for us. There are so many things that he’s done. He’s chapter treasurer now‚ and has been a regional chairman and a national officer.
“He’s a huge part of what we do‚ beyond which his is a great conscience. And he is a great guiding light.”
Levitt is a former Home News reporter and now works in New York City for Bloomburg News.
Later‚ Ron Miskoff‚ a journalism instructor at Rutgers and former Home News reporter‚ commented: “I’ve known Guy 20 years. He’s one of the great journalists of New Jersey. He’s done so many things. I wish him well. He’s a friend‚ a mentor and an authority on open government.”
On the subject of open government‚ Baehr was one of the key people involved in promoting the establishment of “F.O.G.” -- the Foundation for Open Government -- which led the way in getting the Open Public Records Act passed in the New Jersey Legislature in January‚ 2002‚ and which is a landmark in helping New Jersey journalists get to the truth.
“To be a good journalist‚” Guy has said‚ “your first loyalty is to the truth.”
Early on‚ before deciding on a career‚ Baehr considered going to law school. He would have been another lawyer. Maybe a very good lawyer. And chances are he would have made significantly more money.
But it’s likely he wouldn’t have interviewed Hubert Humphrey and Mikhail Gorbachev and Walter Mondale‚ “percs” which went along with the reporting job. “Journalism can be a business‚ a job‚ a craft‚ or a calling‚” Baehr says.
And it is evident that Baehr has made journalism his calling‚ even though at this point he hasn’t decided exactly what he’s going to do in the Dominican Republic‚ other than live modestly and do a lot of sail boating.
“I get satisfaction from telling somebody’s story‚” he said.“And‚ I do feel like hanging around with other journalists.”
And he has strong feelings about the responsibilities of those who choose to go into the field.In addition to his wide-ranging background in promoting open public records and a freer scholastic press‚ he now teaches a highly successful course in investigative reporting at Rutgers.
Barbara Reed‚ also a member of SPJ‚ is a prize-winning Rutgers academic and one of the outstanding teachers in the training of young journalists. She also had words of praise for colleague Baehr.
“Guy Baehr is a solid teacher‚” she said. “His course has really been a rousing success‚ and he has had his students do interesting things…”
Dr. John V. Pavlik‚ chair of the Journalism Department at Rutgers‚ called Baehr’s investigative reporting course “particularly remarkable.”
“Guy's students have produced a series of investigative reports that not only have been published but have won awards and recognition for their excellence.
“Beyond the classroom‚” Pavlik continued‚ “Guy also served for five years as associate director of the Journalism Resources Institute (JRI)‚ our bridge between the classroom and the newsroom. Through his efforts at JRI‚ we have established an important project on ethnic and immigrant media in New Jersey and New York. He has also directed our collaboration with the New Jersey Press Association in producing annual workshops for journalists on covering municipal budgets. Guy has also led the expansion of our annual Merck Science Journalism Awards program.”
In his first newspaper job‚ at the Passaic Herald News‚ (my original home-town newspaper‚ which I delivered on a bike while in high school)‚ Guy’s knowledge of Peace Corps Spanish came in handy because of the changing demographics of Passaic.
It also has been handy in Perth Amboy‚ where Baehr has lived since 1982. Baehr has been with SPJ during the 1980’s and was state chapter president for two years‚ beginning in 1991.
He has won numerous awards‚ and has been extremely active in conducting the state-wide SPJ newspaper writing and excellence contest. He has limited his own entries to avoid the appearance of conflict. As for moving to the Dominican Republic‚ there’s an uncertain target date.
Also‚ he says‚ “It’s not like I’m moving to Timbuctoo.”
“I probably won’t miss the traffic in New Jersey.”
He expects he’ll be doing some sail-boating down there‚ and may even run into some Raritan Yacht Club members who make their way down there.
What occurred to him while thinking about his being a journalist? One key question: “How does the world really work?”
And an observation: “The work that I do is a lot of fun. A lot of people don’t get that opportunity.”
And: “You get to know people. Many people.”
The house he’ll build in the Dominican Republic is in a town called Luperon‚ on the northern coast of the country‚ near Puerto Plata‚ a resort area.
“It’s near the water‚” Baehr points out‚ “and is naturally shielded from hurricanes.”
The Dominican Republic occupies half of the island called Hispaniola‚ and is Spanish speaking. The other half of the island is actually Haiti‚ and is French speaking.
Baehr got his graduate journalism degree at Columbia University‚ the stellar graduate school for journalism. While he was an undergraduate at Wesleyan University in Connecticut‚ he attended an anti-war protest at the Pentagon. It was the protest‚ he recalls‚ where an iconic photograph was made of protesters placing flowers into the rifle barrels of the soldiers sent to watch over them.
Baehr came back to campus to write the story for the Wesleyan Argus about the arrest of four Wesleyan students. He was a newsman‚ even back then.
During the summer of 1967 at Wesleyan‚ he completed a Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class‚ which would have made him eligible for the rank of Marine Corps second lieutenant.
But he felt that the military was not his cup of tea. His own “Semper Fi” turned out to be journalism. |