Paul Morgan Baker

Paul Morgan Baker, a 1977 Minnversity sociology Ph.D. who spent three decades at the University of Victoria, passed away recently. I only met him briefly but picked up right away on his warmth, wit, and good humor. He's best known locally for flying through the entire graduate program -- entering with a BA, leaving with a PhD -- in three short years. Though Dr. Baker graced the pages of AJS and Social Forces in his distinguished career, his obituary tells the real story:

BAKER, Paul Morgan. PhD. October 8, 1949 August 19, 2009 Morgan grew up in North Vancouver, where he excelled at ice dancing (not that there's anything wrong with that), hockey, blowing things up, and writing. He dropped out of UBC in 1967 to pursue a brief and unsuccessful music career. In 1970, he entered the University of Victoria, won numerous awards and became a sociologist (thanks Bob!). After three cold winters at the University of Minnesota, he finished his MA and PhD degrees in record time so he could return to Victoria. While helping to raise his children, he also found time to do some unusual research projects at the University, many of which were published in major sociological journals. Perhaps his proudest accomplishment as a Professor was the accolades he received on RateMyProfessor.com, where students were equally enamored with his humor and skateboard-inspired fashion sense. Morgan loved sunflowers, music, Guinness, South Park, his family, his Handsonic 10 electronic drum, space science, sleep, Hawaii, and Miles the cat, but not necessarily in that order. He was green before his time and rode his bike everywhere. He ate a peanut butter sandwich everyday for lunch for over thirty years. Missing him are his wife, Maureen Colgan, kids Gillian (Glynnis), John (Angela), Nick (Shelley), Kenedy (Ryan), and of course wee darlin' Harlyn, sister Leslie, nephew Max, Aunt Jerry, cousins Laurie Cameron and Brent Morgan, along with many friends, colleagues, and students. Morgan often said he had the best job in the world, and he truly loved teaching, thinking and writing. His final words: GET ON WITH LIFE! At his request, there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the 2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer on his daughter Gillian's personal page at www.conquercancer.ca , the Victoria Hospice, or please plant a tree for him. Take a moment to look up at the night sky for a glimpse of the International Space Station, play your favourite music, have a glass of wine and remember Morgan; he was one cool dude.

I was planning to work up a few drummer jokes in his honor, but he evidently strang some too -- here's a link to a li'l blues shuffle. Oh, what the heck...

What's the difference between a podiatrist and a drummer?
The podiatrist bucks up your feet.

So this drummer kept getting fired for having bad time; the guy got so depressed he went down to the tracks and threw himself behind a train.

St. Peter was directing traffic at the pearly gates. The first person was carrying a backpack full of papers. "What did you do on Earth?" "I was a sociology professor." "Wonderful! Go right through those two shiny gates and to the left.
"Next Person! ..And what did you do on Earth?" "Oh, I was a drummer." "All right, now go around to the back door, through the kitchen, up the freight elevator, down the corridor and..."