Stricken In Game, Lloyd Baker, Age 31, Is Heart Victim
County Is Saddened By Athlete's Death Tuesday In Frankfort
In a tragedy that saddened the hearts of hundreds throughout Johnson county, Lloyd Owen Baker, one of the outstanding athletes in the county's history and certainly possessor of one of finest characters, died late Tuesday night of a heart attack suffered while playing in an industrial league basketball game at Lincoln gymnasium in Frankfort.
Mr. Baker's death was attributed to coronary occlusion. He was 31 years old.
He was playing on the American Legion team and became ill late in the third quarter of the ball game. Removed from the contest, the stricken player went to the dressing room, then returned to the stage at the end of the gym to rejoin the Legion players. There he told a league official that he was not feeling well. Shortly after he was returned to his home at 557 Delphi avenue, Mr. Baker passed away.
The body was taken to the Goodwin Brothers funeral home in Frankfort, where friends are invited to call after 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. The remains will be brought to the Vandivier mortuary here tomorrow, and friends may call at the parlors Thursday evening after 4 p.m.
Rites are to be conducted at the Vandivier funeral home at 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon by the Rev. James Lawson, pastor of the Tabernacle Christian church, and burial will be in the First Mt. Pleasant cemetery.
Son of Custer Baker, Johnson county superintendent of schools, and the late Mrs. Mildred Eccles Baker, the young man was born in Union township Feb. 24, 1919. He attended the Union schools and graduated from Union high school in 1937.
*Leads Cage Team*
As regular center on the Ramblers team that year, Lloyd led the squad through the regular season without defeat - 20 consecutive victories. Union lost in the county tourney to its old rivals, Center Grove, 23-18, and also lost to Franklin in the finals of the sectional tourney 34-27.
For the entire year, tourneys included, Union that year had a record of 25 triumphs and only 2 losses. Other members of the team, coached by O. J. Sloop, were Joe Hicks, Stanley Beckman, Herschel Cook, Ray Shaffer, Kenneth Shaffer, Curtis Hicks, Arthur Hants, William Barnett and Kermit Mayer.
Lloyd attended Franklin College, where he played on the football and basketball teams. He was a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. Basketball was in his blood, and following graduation, he played on the Stewart-Warner semi-pro team in Indianapolis which won the national amateur championship in 1940, defeating the famous Phillips, Okla., Oilers in the final game at Butler University fieldhouse.
*Served in Europe*
He served his country during World War II as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, and fought in Europe.
His heroism in the war, and his undying enthusiasm on the field of sports proved a strain which over-taxed his heart. Those who had the honor of competing against him, and his coach of high school days all knew Lloyd for his determination first to play the game clean, and second to win if at all possible.
The young man was a member of the Masonic lodge at Providence, The Providence Christian church, and the American Legion and Loyal Order of Moose in Frankfort. He had been employed by the Skelgas division of the Skelly Oil Company since his discharge from the Army, and was a sales representative for the company at the time of his sudden and untimely death.
He was united in marriage to Miss Helen Morris of Frankfort, who survives with three children. Others remaining with the parents are two sisters, Mrs. Ray Dunn, and Mrs. O.J. Sloop Jr.; a grandmother, Mrs. Minnie Eccles; and five step-brothers and sisters, Ramona, Noel, Tim, John Bart, and Steve Baker.
*Pays Tribute*
A tribute today from Lloyd's high school coach, O. J. Sloop, now a member of the Franklin high school faculty, probably best expressed the sentiments of all basketball fans in the county. Mr. Sloop described Lloyd as a "very hard player." Because he was so good a player, he took rough treatment from his opponents. And in every single instance, he came out with a smile.
"He was the best all-around player I ever coached," Mr. Sloop said today, "and one of the great players of all time in this county."
Ability to play the game, as such, is not the sole attribute of a good player. He must be great in stature, and he must be able to lose as graciously as he does in winning. In every way, Lloyd Baker measured up to the qualifications.
*obituary appeared in the Franklin Evening Star, Franklin, Indiana, Wednesday, 29 November 1950, pages 1 & 6.
County Is Saddened By Athlete's Death Tuesday In Frankfort
In a tragedy that saddened the hearts of hundreds throughout Johnson county, Lloyd Owen Baker, one of the outstanding athletes in the county's history and certainly possessor of one of finest characters, died late Tuesday night of a heart attack suffered while playing in an industrial league basketball game at Lincoln gymnasium in Frankfort.
Mr. Baker's death was attributed to coronary occlusion. He was 31 years old.
He was playing on the American Legion team and became ill late in the third quarter of the ball game. Removed from the contest, the stricken player went to the dressing room, then returned to the stage at the end of the gym to rejoin the Legion players. There he told a league official that he was not feeling well. Shortly after he was returned to his home at 557 Delphi avenue, Mr. Baker passed away.
The body was taken to the Goodwin Brothers funeral home in Frankfort, where friends are invited to call after 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. The remains will be brought to the Vandivier mortuary here tomorrow, and friends may call at the parlors Thursday evening after 4 p.m.
Rites are to be conducted at the Vandivier funeral home at 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon by the Rev. James Lawson, pastor of the Tabernacle Christian church, and burial will be in the First Mt. Pleasant cemetery.
Son of Custer Baker, Johnson county superintendent of schools, and the late Mrs. Mildred Eccles Baker, the young man was born in Union township Feb. 24, 1919. He attended the Union schools and graduated from Union high school in 1937.
*Leads Cage Team*
As regular center on the Ramblers team that year, Lloyd led the squad through the regular season without defeat - 20 consecutive victories. Union lost in the county tourney to its old rivals, Center Grove, 23-18, and also lost to Franklin in the finals of the sectional tourney 34-27.
For the entire year, tourneys included, Union that year had a record of 25 triumphs and only 2 losses. Other members of the team, coached by O. J. Sloop, were Joe Hicks, Stanley Beckman, Herschel Cook, Ray Shaffer, Kenneth Shaffer, Curtis Hicks, Arthur Hants, William Barnett and Kermit Mayer.
Lloyd attended Franklin College, where he played on the football and basketball teams. He was a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. Basketball was in his blood, and following graduation, he played on the Stewart-Warner semi-pro team in Indianapolis which won the national amateur championship in 1940, defeating the famous Phillips, Okla., Oilers in the final game at Butler University fieldhouse.
*Served in Europe*
He served his country during World War II as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, and fought in Europe.
His heroism in the war, and his undying enthusiasm on the field of sports proved a strain which over-taxed his heart. Those who had the honor of competing against him, and his coach of high school days all knew Lloyd for his determination first to play the game clean, and second to win if at all possible.
The young man was a member of the Masonic lodge at Providence, The Providence Christian church, and the American Legion and Loyal Order of Moose in Frankfort. He had been employed by the Skelgas division of the Skelly Oil Company since his discharge from the Army, and was a sales representative for the company at the time of his sudden and untimely death.
He was united in marriage to Miss Helen Morris of Frankfort, who survives with three children. Others remaining with the parents are two sisters, Mrs. Ray Dunn, and Mrs. O.J. Sloop Jr.; a grandmother, Mrs. Minnie Eccles; and five step-brothers and sisters, Ramona, Noel, Tim, John Bart, and Steve Baker.
*Pays Tribute*
A tribute today from Lloyd's high school coach, O. J. Sloop, now a member of the Franklin high school faculty, probably best expressed the sentiments of all basketball fans in the county. Mr. Sloop described Lloyd as a "very hard player." Because he was so good a player, he took rough treatment from his opponents. And in every single instance, he came out with a smile.
"He was the best all-around player I ever coached," Mr. Sloop said today, "and one of the great players of all time in this county."
Ability to play the game, as such, is not the sole attribute of a good player. He must be great in stature, and he must be able to lose as graciously as he does in winning. In every way, Lloyd Baker measured up to the qualifications.
*obituary appeared in the Franklin Evening Star, Franklin, Indiana, Wednesday, 29 November 1950, pages 1 & 6.
Stricken In Game, Lloyd Baker, Age 31, Is Heart Victim
County Is Saddened By Athlete's Death Tuesday In Frankfort
In a tragedy that saddened the hearts of hundreds throughout Johnson county, Lloyd Owen Baker, one of the outstanding athletes in the county's history and certainly possessor of one of finest characters, died late Tuesday night of a heart attack suffered while playing in an industrial league basketball game at Lincoln gymnasium in Frankfort.
Mr. Baker's death was attributed to coronary occlusion. He was 31 years old.
He was playing on the American Legion team and became ill late in the third quarter of the ball game. Removed from the contest, the stricken player went to the dressing room, then returned to the stage at the end of the gym to rejoin the Legion players. There he told a league official that he was not feeling well. Shortly after he was returned to his home at 557 Delphi avenue, Mr. Baker passed away.
The body was taken to the Goodwin Brothers funeral home in Frankfort, where friends are invited to call after 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. The remains will be brought to the Vandivier mortuary here tomorrow, and friends may call at the parlors Thursday evening after 4 p.m.
Rites are to be conducted at the Vandivier funeral home at 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon by the Rev. James Lawson, pastor of the Tabernacle Christian church, and burial will be in the First Mt. Pleasant cemetery.
Son of Custer Baker, Johnson county superintendent of schools, and the late Mrs. Mildred Eccles Baker, the young man was born in Union township Feb. 24, 1919. He attended the Union schools and graduated from Union high school in 1937.
*Leads Cage Team*
As regular center on the Ramblers team that year, Lloyd led the squad through the regular season without defeat - 20 consecutive victories. Union lost in the county tourney to its old rivals, Center Grove, 23-18, and also lost to Franklin in the finals of the sectional tourney 34-27.
For the entire year, tourneys included, Union that year had a record of 25 triumphs and only 2 losses. Other members of the team, coached by O. J. Sloop, were Joe Hicks, Stanley Beckman, Herschel Cook, Ray Shaffer, Kenneth Shaffer, Curtis Hicks, Arthur Hants, William Barnett and Kermit Mayer.
Lloyd attended Franklin College, where he played on the football and basketball teams. He was a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. Basketball was in his blood, and following graduation, he played on the Stewart-Warner semi-pro team in Indianapolis which won the national amateur championship in 1940, defeating the famous Phillips, Okla., Oilers in the final game at Butler University fieldhouse.
*Served in Europe*
He served his country during World War II as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, and fought in Europe.
His heroism in the war, and his undying enthusiasm on the field of sports proved a strain which over-taxed his heart. Those who had the honor of competing against him, and his coach of high school days all knew Lloyd for his determination first to play the game clean, and second to win if at all possible.
The young man was a member of the Masonic lodge at Providence, The Providence Christian church, and the American Legion and Loyal Order of Moose in Frankfort. He had been employed by the Skelgas division of the Skelly Oil Company since his discharge from the Army, and was a sales representative for the company at the time of his sudden and untimely death.
He was united in marriage to Miss Helen Morris of Frankfort, who survives with three children. Others remaining with the parents are two sisters, Mrs. Ray Dunn, and Mrs. O.J. Sloop Jr.; a grandmother, Mrs. Minnie Eccles; and five step-brothers and sisters, Ramona, Noel, Tim, John Bart, and Steve Baker.
*Pays Tribute*
A tribute today from Lloyd's high school coach, O. J. Sloop, now a member of the Franklin high school faculty, probably best expressed the sentiments of all basketball fans in the county. Mr. Sloop described Lloyd as a "very hard player." Because he was so good a player, he took rough treatment from his opponents. And in every single instance, he came out with a smile.
"He was the best all-around player I ever coached," Mr. Sloop said today, "and one of the great players of all time in this county."
Ability to play the game, as such, is not the sole attribute of a good player. He must be great in stature, and he must be able to lose as graciously as he does in winning. In every way, Lloyd Baker measured up to the qualifications.
*obituary appeared in the Franklin Evening Star, Franklin, Indiana, Wednesday, 29 November 1950, pages 1 & 6.
County Is Saddened By Athlete's Death Tuesday In Frankfort
In a tragedy that saddened the hearts of hundreds throughout Johnson county, Lloyd Owen Baker, one of the outstanding athletes in the county's history and certainly possessor of one of finest characters, died late Tuesday night of a heart attack suffered while playing in an industrial league basketball game at Lincoln gymnasium in Frankfort.
Mr. Baker's death was attributed to coronary occlusion. He was 31 years old.
He was playing on the American Legion team and became ill late in the third quarter of the ball game. Removed from the contest, the stricken player went to the dressing room, then returned to the stage at the end of the gym to rejoin the Legion players. There he told a league official that he was not feeling well. Shortly after he was returned to his home at 557 Delphi avenue, Mr. Baker passed away.
The body was taken to the Goodwin Brothers funeral home in Frankfort, where friends are invited to call after 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. The remains will be brought to the Vandivier mortuary here tomorrow, and friends may call at the parlors Thursday evening after 4 p.m.
Rites are to be conducted at the Vandivier funeral home at 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon by the Rev. James Lawson, pastor of the Tabernacle Christian church, and burial will be in the First Mt. Pleasant cemetery.
Son of Custer Baker, Johnson county superintendent of schools, and the late Mrs. Mildred Eccles Baker, the young man was born in Union township Feb. 24, 1919. He attended the Union schools and graduated from Union high school in 1937.
*Leads Cage Team*
As regular center on the Ramblers team that year, Lloyd led the squad through the regular season without defeat - 20 consecutive victories. Union lost in the county tourney to its old rivals, Center Grove, 23-18, and also lost to Franklin in the finals of the sectional tourney 34-27.
For the entire year, tourneys included, Union that year had a record of 25 triumphs and only 2 losses. Other members of the team, coached by O. J. Sloop, were Joe Hicks, Stanley Beckman, Herschel Cook, Ray Shaffer, Kenneth Shaffer, Curtis Hicks, Arthur Hants, William Barnett and Kermit Mayer.
Lloyd attended Franklin College, where he played on the football and basketball teams. He was a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. Basketball was in his blood, and following graduation, he played on the Stewart-Warner semi-pro team in Indianapolis which won the national amateur championship in 1940, defeating the famous Phillips, Okla., Oilers in the final game at Butler University fieldhouse.
*Served in Europe*
He served his country during World War II as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, and fought in Europe.
His heroism in the war, and his undying enthusiasm on the field of sports proved a strain which over-taxed his heart. Those who had the honor of competing against him, and his coach of high school days all knew Lloyd for his determination first to play the game clean, and second to win if at all possible.
The young man was a member of the Masonic lodge at Providence, The Providence Christian church, and the American Legion and Loyal Order of Moose in Frankfort. He had been employed by the Skelgas division of the Skelly Oil Company since his discharge from the Army, and was a sales representative for the company at the time of his sudden and untimely death.
He was united in marriage to Miss Helen Morris of Frankfort, who survives with three children. Others remaining with the parents are two sisters, Mrs. Ray Dunn, and Mrs. O.J. Sloop Jr.; a grandmother, Mrs. Minnie Eccles; and five step-brothers and sisters, Ramona, Noel, Tim, John Bart, and Steve Baker.
*Pays Tribute*
A tribute today from Lloyd's high school coach, O. J. Sloop, now a member of the Franklin high school faculty, probably best expressed the sentiments of all basketball fans in the county. Mr. Sloop described Lloyd as a "very hard player." Because he was so good a player, he took rough treatment from his opponents. And in every single instance, he came out with a smile.
"He was the best all-around player I ever coached," Mr. Sloop said today, "and one of the great players of all time in this county."
Ability to play the game, as such, is not the sole attribute of a good player. He must be great in stature, and he must be able to lose as graciously as he does in winning. In every way, Lloyd Baker measured up to the qualifications.
*obituary appeared in the Franklin Evening Star, Franklin, Indiana, Wednesday, 29 November 1950, pages 1 & 6.
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