SUI’s A. Craig Baird – The Father of International Debate.

University of Iowa Professor A. Craig Baird (1883-1979) built the modern debate program at the University of Iowa, guided it through its formative years, and was a remarkable teacher and noteworthy scholar of communication studies. Baird devoted forty-five (1925-1970) of his most productive years to teaching at SUI – eighteen of these after he formally “retired.” Baird was a pioneer in the development of speech as an academic discipline, an author of numerous texts on argumentation, debate and public discussion, and was the recognized authority in the field of rhetorical criticism as related to American Public Address.

Born in Vevey, Indiana on October 20, 1883, Albert (A.) Craig Baird attended Wabash College (Indiana), graduating in 1907. After doing more studies at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Baird finished his theological work (1910) at Union Theological Seminary in New York. In 1912, he received his M.A. degree from Columbia University, with his teaching career beginning at Ohio Wesleyan, and continuing at Dartmouth College, before moving on to Bates College (Maine) in 1913.

In 1921, while directing intercollegiate debate at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, Baird took his debaters to Oxford University where they argued before the Union Debate Society, establishing a tradition in international debating which continues to today. It was in Lewiston – in 1923 – when A. Craig Baird married Marion Peirce – who was from Bangor Maine.

When Professor A. Craig Baird came to Iowa City in 1925, he continued taking his debate teams to England, establishing himself as “The Father of International Debate.” Professor Baird labored continuously with his SUI debate teams until 1952, serving as the head of the Iowa High School Forensic League from 1925-1950 as well.

***Professor Baird and his wife – Marion Peirce Baird – lived at 200 Ferson Ave. on the west side of the Iowa River*** *(see map above center)****. Above*** *(left)* ***is an article in the May 11, 1929 edition of The Iowa City Press-Citizen announcing that Baird would be building a new $6,000 home in the Manville Heights neighborhood. Above*** *(right)* is an article from the April 24, 1931 edition of The Press-Citizen, reporting that the police were investigating a stolen car incident reported by Professor Baird. Oops! Apparently, his car simply slipped out of gear and rolled down one of the many hills in Manville Heights!

One of Professor Baird’s side jobs at SUI was to host numerous radio broadcasts on the new Iowa City radio station WSUI. Above, we see that Professor Benjamin F. Shambaugh is scheduled to be the featured speaker on Baird’s first edition of his radio show – Forensic Forum – on Friday, February 9, 1934 at 3 pm. **Below, we find that Professor Baird – because of his great popularity – will teach summer sessions on speech & debate at Columbia University in 1937.**

Many of Baird’s former students at SUI went on to positions of leadership in political affairs, law, journalism, business, and all aspects of education. Speech departments across the country have been headed by Baird students, with many of his pupils becoming presidents of the National Communication Association (formerly the Speech Communication Association), editors of the professional journals in speech, and authors of innumerable scholarly articles and monographs, as well as deans and college presidents. One such case is Raymond M. Berrier from Nashua, Iowa...

*(JP-093)* A World War II “free” postal cover for servicemen, postmarked at APO in New York City on December 5, 1944. Note that the writer – Corporal Raymond Barrier – is writing from the battlefront in Europe and, as it was during the war, letters were “censored” meaning they were opened and read, making certain no valuable, war-related information was being passed on – in this case to Professor A. Craig Baird in Iowa City. ***During World War II, Professor Baird had charge of army pre-meteorology students at SUI, and he was also the director of War Time Services and Information for eastern Iowa.***

Raymond M. Berrier was born in Nashua, Iowa on March 20, 1911. He attended Iowa State Teachers College (UNI), graduating in 1932, and by 1936, was working on his Master of Arts degree in Speech – studying under Professor A. Craig Baird in Iowa City. Around 1940, Baird became the Speech & Debate Instructor at a junior college in Ft. Dodge, Iowa. Drafted into the U.S. Army in June 1943, it was during Berrier’s time in the service when he corresponded with Professor Baird. After the war, Berrier finished his long career as a Professor of Speech at Drake University in Des Moines, passing away, at age 74, on November 20, 1985. He and his parents – John & Rilla Berrier – are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Nashua, Iowa. According to records found on-line, the Children’s Wing of the Nashua Public Library (see pics below) is dedicated to Rilla Berrier and her son, Raymond.

On April 3, 1957, The Daily Iowan published this article (below) about Professor Baird – just as he was completing his twentieth book on speech & communications. Interestingly, Baird went on to author or serve as editor of at least thirty-six books and a great number of articles. His publications spanned a period of fifty-two years (1921-1973)!

In 1952, Baird “retired” and was named Professor Emeritus, but remained an active teacher at Iowa until 1970. In 1974, the University of Iowa awarded Professor Emeritus A. Craig Baird the UI Distinguished Alumni Service Award.

***In the August 26, 1970 edition of The Press-Citizen*** *(above left)****, it was announced:*** “A. Craig Baird, who has been associated with the University of Iowa Department of Speech since 1925, will be awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree by Southern Illinois University at its summer commencement exercises Sept. 5 in Carbondale. Prof. Baird was named a professor emeritus of speech at the University of Iowa in 1952 and later taught at several other universities, including Southern Illinois, where he was distinguished visiting professor of speech from 1959 to 1960. The founder of the Speech Association of America, Baird is author of a number of books now considered classics in the field of speech. He is also known as **“The Father of International Debate”** because he arranged the first debate between an American college, Bates, and a university abroad, Oxford. His former students and debaters now teach on campuses across the country.”

***In the May 25, 1977 edition of The Press-Citizen*** *(above right)****, it is announced that Baird has also been awarded the Alumni Award of Merit from his alma mater – Wabash College.***

Albert Craig Baird died on March 19, 1979 at age 95. His wife – Marion Peirce Baird – born April 21, 1899 in Bangor, Maine – passed away on November 16, 1983 at age 84. Both Barbara & A. Craig Baird are buried in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Iowa City.

There have been many tributes offered to the life and work of Professor A. Craig Baird. Below (left) is an article from the October 8, 1976 edition of The Iowa City Press-Citizen, and (right) an overview of the A. Craig Baird UI Debate Forum published in the December 8, 1999 edition of The Press-Citizen…