These days, Ed Baugh feels enlivened by riding his bicycle long distances and other outdoor adventures. At 76 and retired from four decades of teaching and coaching in the Eastmont School District, he has never lost his passion for helping others and meeting them where they are.
Baugh’s light-hearted spirit, empathy for people who are struggling and his willingness to be kind and helpful to them, are a wonderful example of how one can make a positive contribution in a community. Any person can choose a similar path and be a light to others in what can be a dark world.
Yet life hasn’t always been rosy for Baugh. As a seven-year-old in the 1950s, he contracted polio and spent months in isolation at Deaconess Hospital. Perhaps that crucible helped forge his identity as a caring human and a devoted mentor. He finds purpose helping others find the resilience to meet life’s challenges.
Rufus Woods
Ed, his wife Bev, artist Jan Cook Mack and Native American elder Randy Lewis are participating in a year-long Elder Speak program through the Ripple Foundation that is giving them the opportunity to reflect on the wisdom they’ve learned and pass that along to future generations.
The Ripple Foundation is a local educational nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals and groups in their ability to bring their best self within their community. Go to theripplefoundation.org to provide support or for more information. Ed Baugh and the rest of the Elder Speak participants, will be sharing their wisdom and insights at an event on Sept. 18.
Ed Baugh
Baugh’s grandfather worked for the Great Northern Railway and lived near the now-demolished Terminal Hotel south of Wenatchee. Ed grew up in East Wenatchee. His father was East Wenatchee’s first high school principal. Baugh remembered his father’s “old-school” approach to learning. Going swimming at Porter’s Pond depended on whether Ed could pull up 50 dandelions, he recalled. Privileges came with responsibilities.
As he grew up, Baugh’s summers were spent working in the mountains, fighting fires and building trails. For one who was confined to a hospital room in isolation, the outdoors became a place of joy, reflection and connection. When we chatted, Baugh was prepared to once again ride his bicycle in the annual 200-mile Seattle-to-Portland event with his son.
Baugh continues his outdoor adventures with folks like Dr. Francis Collins. The two have done some extensive canoe trips. Baugh believes one should never stop growing, evolving and experiencing life.
Pursuing a career in education came naturally, thanks to the educators in his family. He was hired at Eastmont after graduating from Eastern Washington University, and taught math and mechanical drawing.
He spent the next forty-plus years coaching and teaching in the district — primarily as a track and field coach. Despite never having seen a wrestling match, he ended up as an assistant coach at the junior high and learned from the kids and from other coaches.
“Life’s a learning curve,” he told me. That spirit of helping kids continues on to this day. He has been mentoring a young man for five years and the two have formed a powerful human connection. That program, Ment2Be, is a program of the Wenatchee YMCA. Mentoring is one of this valley’s greatest needs, given the fact we have so many kids who desperately need a caring adult in their lives. Imagine the difference we could make in our valley if we had an army of caring mentors to help local kids navigate life.
Baugh wasn’t sure that he had wisdom to impart when he began the journey as an Elder Speak participant, which is normal. He’s coming to terms with the wisdom he has gained. What strikes me as powerful is the way he chooses to live life — with a positive mindset, an abundant sense of curiosity and a generous spirit.
Asked what he has learned from the Elder Speak experience, Baugh said this:
“Maybe I have made a difference. Maybe I do have something to impart. And if I do, I should use it,” Baugh added.
The richest people I know are the ones that bring a spirit of generosity and warmth to this journey of life. Both Ed and his wife Bev both embody those attributes.
Thanks, Ed, for shining a light that any of us can choose to follow to pursue a more meaningful life in community.
Rufus Woods is the publisher emeritus of The Wenatchee World. He may be reached at rwoods@wenatcheeworld.com or (509) 665-1162.
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