Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Baker, William

Teacher; born Geelong, Victoria, 8 August 1879; died Melbourne, 17 September 1943, aged 64.

William Baker, younger brother of Peter, was educated mainly at St Aloysius' College, Bourke Street, Sydney, and spent his last year at Riverview, 1896. His contemporaries remember him as being very reliable and steady in temperament and in studies. He was dux of the school in his last year, and gained first class honours in matriculation mathematics, qualifying for the matriculation entrance at the university in the faculties of law, medicine, science and the department of engineering.

Baker entered the Jesuit noviciate at Loyola, Greenwich, 1 March 1899, and before being sent abroad in 1909 to study philosophy at Stonyhurst, England, he taught mathematics first at Riverview, 1901-3, and then at Xavier, 1903-9. He afterwards studied theology at Milltown Park, Dublin, where he was ordained in 1914. On completion of his studies he spent one year, 1915-16, at Belvedere College, Dublin, before returning to Australia and Xavier College, Melbourne, at the end of the Great War.

His career as a teacher of mathematics both before and after ordination was mainly spent at Xavier, 1918-21 and, after a short time at Riverview in 1922, which he found very difficult, returned to Xavier, 1923-30, where he was prefect of studies from 1921-2 and 1925-30. He taught mathematics to the higher classes at St Patrick's College, 1930-42, and was prefect of studies from 1931-35. He went to Xavier College in 1942 when his health broke down, and he died the following year at Caritas Christi.

He was described as 'a picturesque figure', a strong disciplinarian, critical of the achievements of his pupils, with whom he was popular, despite the fact that he gave them very little hope of ever passing an examination. He was a strenuous worker, and a careful and stimulating teacher. He had the happy knack of teaching with the lighter touch, and his success in getting the best out of his students was probably largely due to his method of leading rather than driving.

Students were attracted to him for his unselfishness and kindly interest, combined with a fund of good humour. They found him a good teacher, firm but just, and he was affectionately known by his initials, 'WIB'. He had a gruff manner frequently combined with a twinkle in his eye. He had many good friends among the old scholars, and continued to show interest in them.

His Jesuit colleagues found him to be a 'good community man', very loyal to his colleagues, shrewd, energetic, hard-working, full of vitality; and apart from attendance at football matches on Saturdays with some sporting friends, he had no interests outside his work and community life. He was a devoted chaplain for many years to the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart at Mena House. His end came 18 months after a sudden heart attack, a time that was very painful for him. His condition weakened him considerably, causing him to lose his former fire and vitality.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)