Stanley Baer

Stanley Baer was born Stanley Theodore Baer on October 19, 1885, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Theobald Baer and Helena Davis. He attended Louisville Male High School before becoming a three-sport athlete at Kentucky State College, the institution that later became the University of Kentucky. Known to classmates as “Stan” and “Bone,” Baer stood just 5-foot-6 and weighed 128 pounds, but his athletic contributions extended across basketball, football and baseball.

Baer’s first recorded varsity basketball season came during his sophomore year in 1904–05. Wildcat World credits the forward with one appearance that season. He joined the program while basketball was still establishing itself on campus, becoming part of the small group of athletes who sustained Kentucky’s earliest teams.

As a junior in 1905–06, Baer appeared in eight games. The Kentuckian described basketball as a sport still in its infancy at State College, but one with the potential to become its leading winter attraction. Playing alongside teammates including Thomson Bryant, Maury Wilson and Richard Barbee, Baer helped provide continuity as enthusiasm for the game grew.

Baer returned at forward for his senior season in 1906–07, appearing in nine games. That year brought a meaningful step forward for the fledgling program: the basketball team covered its expenses for the first time and finished with enough money to purchase team sweaters. Wildcat World records his three-season career at 18 appearances and two points.

One memorable victory came on February 15, 1907, when Kentucky rallied in the closing minutes to defeat crosstown rival Kentucky University, 16–14. The Lexington Herald specifically praised the work of Baer and Barbee. Before a large and enthusiastic crowd, the teams renewed an athletic rivalry that had been dormant for nearly three years.

Away from the basketball court, Baer played first base for Kentucky’s baseball team and earned All-Southern recognition as a football end in 1906. His yearbook portrait emphasized his speed and sure tackling despite being the football team’s lightest player. He also belonged to Sigma Nu and Tau Beta Pi, worked on student publications, and graduated in 1907 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.

After working in Kentucky and Louisiana, Baer pursued a career in Idaho’s irrigation and reclamation industry. He served as first assistant commissioner of reclamation for Idaho from 1919 to 1921 and later became manager and secretary-treasurer of the Big Wood Canal Company. In April 1932, he became manager of American Falls Reservoir District No. 2, serving until his death. Baer died at his home in Shoshone, Idaho, on March 21, 1949, following a long illness. He was 63 and was survived by his wife, Edith, three children, two stepdaughters and seven grandchildren.