Hall of Fame - Alan L. Baker
Alan L. Baker
The Ellsworth American
A native of Orrington, Maine, Mr. Baker came to newspapers via a circuitous route: prior to working at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, he was in advertising and sales for General Electric. He returned to his native state in 1979 and formed National Media Services, a coop advertising clearing house. He also served a term in the Maine Legislature. In 1986, Mr. Baker joined Russell Wiggins at the Ellsworth American. The paper prospered under his guidance expanding its operations and modernizing its printing plant. He oversaw a rapid series of additions to the press capacity as well as the computerization of key operations including editorial, production, and in the business office. In the fall of 2001, Mr. Baker launched the Mount Desert Islander a weekly in Bar Harbor, Maine. Mr. Baker has been a strong supporter of Right-to-Know laws in Maine and has not hesitated to back up the paper’s insistence on openness with funds when it has been necessary to sue government officials eager to keep the public’s work secret.