Tom Baker

Tom Baker has been a tireless promoter of the Plainview community since he moved here in 1947 and opened his business, first as an agent for Fidelity Union Insurance, later as a broker for several other companies.

Twice president of the Noon Optimist Club, he was personally responsible for recruiting more than half of the club’s new members since the 1970s, worked in various capacities in the Optimist-sponsored Summer Baseball Program, sold thousands of dollars’ worth of tickets for fundraisers, and was active in many other church, civic, and charitable projects through the years.

He is a past president of the Chamber of Commerce, a recipient of the chamber’s Citizen Through the Years award, a member of the Plainview–Hale County Industrial Foundation, a former Boy Scout leader, a United Way volunteer, and a member of the First Baptist Church.

Tom was born in 1921 in Paris, Texas, grew up there, served for two years in the Army, then returned as a World War II veteran and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife Sylvia have a son and two grandchildren.