Madisonville Messenger

Former Community Improvement Foundation Chairwoman Anne P. Baker has provided a $100,000 gift to the Fulfilling the Promise campaign at Madisonville Community College.

The gift will be used to establish the Anne P. Baker Endowment for Sustained Excellence in the Arts at the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts. This is the second lead gift Baker and her family have made to MCC during the past 11 years.

The fund will provide permanent income for classical-related programs and performances that support an appreciation for classical music, such as productions of the Louisville Orchestra or Nashville Symphony, and for theatrical performances.

Baker and her late husband, James -- a longtime local business leader -- were both arts advocates. Over the past decade, she has provided support for many arts-related endeavors, including performances by the Louisville Orchestra, a stage production of "Death of a Salesman," and the March production of "Children's Swan Lake."

She has also supported exhibits in the Anne P. Baker Gallery, which was named in her honor in 1995 in recognition of her work during MCC's Partners in Progress Campaign during the early 1990s. She served as community gifts chairwoman during that campaign and was involved in the successful effort to build a 400-space parking area adjacent to the Glema Center.

She now lives in Nashville, Tenn.

"Anne's name is synonymous with generosity in our community," said Dr. Judy Rhoads, MCC president. "She continues to inspire literally generations of arts patrons, and along with Glema (Mahr) and Juanita Badgett, has been a major influence in making our community one that is committed to and values the arts."

Campaign general chairman Steve Cox said Baker's donation was the seventh lead gift MCC has received during the Fulfilling the Promise campaign.

"Mrs. Baker and her family have been working with us on campaign matters for the past year," he said. "They are committed to our college and to Madisonville in general, and an endowed gift of this nature will make it possible for orchestras and other classical presenters to come to our community for years."

The college is planning a community reception for the Baker family in July, probably in coordination with the Glema Center's production of "Annie."