By Jo Baldwin

This page is a tribute to my grandfather Dr. Bird Thomas Baldwin. I was not fortunate enough to have known him but I grew up hearing stories about him from my dad. According to Dad, my grandfather was not only a good family man and father but was a well-known educator who possessed an amazing intellectual prowess. He achieved much in his short lifetime.

In the early 1900's child psychology was in its infancy. My grandfather was one of the pioneers in this largely uncharted field. Bird Baldwin was born in Marshalltown, PA in 1875. Our family's heritage has deep roots in this area. I am proud to note that one of our Pennsylvania relatives was John Morton, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Morton was distinguished for his participation in the signing for two reasons. First, he cast the deciding vote for independence in the Pennsylvania delegation. Secondly because he was the first delegate to die after the signing.

My grandfather received his B.S. from Swarthmore in 1900. He then went on to study at the University of Pennsylvania (1901-2), Harvard University, (1902-5) and the University of Leipzig in Germany (1905). He received both his M.A. and Ph. D. from Harvard. On Sept. 4, 1904 he married my grandmother Claudia W. Wilbur from Whitford, PA . Together they raised four children, Bird Wilbur, my father Alan , his twin brother Jervas and their younger sister Patricia.

During these early years when Dr. Baldwin was receiving his education he also taught as an assistant professor of psychology and logic at Harvard in 1903-04. He became professor of psychology at the West Chester (PA) State Normal School between 1905-9. He lectured extensively and taught psychology and education at Swarthmore, University of Chicago, University of Texas, University of Tennessee, and Johns Hopkins University. Finally in 1917 he settled down with his family in Iowa City where he became professor of psychology at the University.

During this period his focus was on child psychology and he developed the Child Welfare Research Station. My grandfather was instrumental in formulating the first height and weight charts for children and also the Iowa tests for basic skills which were still given yearly when I attended school during the 60's and 70's. Dr. Baldwin's work in early childhood development centered on environment rather than heredity as the key to personality and adaptability. He wrote numerous published articles on psychology and education .

In 1918 he became a major in the Sanitary Corps of the US army. Grandfather worked in the Surgeon General's office and was assigned the post of chief psychologist and director of rehabilitation of disabled soldiers at Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, D.C. Dr. Baldwin was a member of the NEA psychological association council and Delta Sigma Rho. He also had the honor of being the president of Sigma Xi.

Unfortunately my grandfather's life was cut short on May 12, 1928 (only a day before the twins' twelfth birthday.) While traveling by train to a lecture at Chautauqua, N.Y. he received a razor cut which became infected resulting in septicemia. Back in those days a train journey from New York to Iowa City took several days. When grandfather arrived in Iowa his temperature was 105 degrees and he was very ill. He died in a local hospital a short time later and his passing was mourned by many.

His orphaned children were then raised by fellow child psychologist, learned educator and founder of the Head Start program, Dr. Beth Lucy Wellman.

I feel very honored to have had such a remarkably intelligent, industrious man for a grandfather. Today my cousin Thomas Baldwin, who is an architect in Des Moines, is involved in the renovation of the "Baldwin Pool" memorial fountain on the University of Iowa campus. This monument is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Bird Thomas Baldwin and his son, the late Jervas Baldwin.

Information about Dr. Baldwin gathered from family anecdotes
and "Who's Who In America" Volume 14, 1926-1927

Music playing is "Pomp and Circumstance"
Written by Edward Elgar