A Better Life

Becky Woodruff remembers Henry Baker, her maternal grandfather. He was born in Hungary in 1892, and worked as a share cropper before coming to the United States in 1910. He met his wife, Elizabeth Shot, at a local dance hall in 1915, and they settled down in Kenmore. The Bakers used to deliver milk by horse and wagon. In 1929, Henry started working as a calender operator at BF Goodrich. He became skilled in the mill room, and eventually became a line inspector. Henry was a humble man who loved to play canasta, fish, dance, and make Hungarian sausage. He was a humble man who loved his family and was proud to be an American.