Gibbs House History

This page honors the Baker family for their historical work and contributions to WMU and the Gibbs site. 

Dr. Lee O. Baker and Mrs. Myrtle Baker moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan and raised their family in the Gibbs House between 1964 and 1983. Lee Baker was the chair of the Agriculture Department at WMU for 23 years and managed the university farm that was formally named in his honor in 1983, now known at the Gibbs House Permaculture Research and Demonstration Site. Lee and Myrtle Baker and their family have been honored for their commitment to fostering a community of learning between WMU students, faculty and the Kalamazoo community through a tribute wall in the Gibbs House and an English Walnut tree in the Gibbs Food Forest. The Baker family established an endowed scholarship to support student research, projects and outreach surrounding permaculture and sustainable agriculture at the Gibbs Site to continue fostering a culture of community and education. 

See the article posted on MyWMU in September 2017 about The Baker Farm.

Susan Baker Harrison: Life on the University Farm
Video interview of Susan Baker Harrison (fall of 2015)