Richard Bruce Baird

Rick was born in Fresno on July 25th, 1937 to Richard St. George Baird and Lillian Mary Sturgeon Baird. He was raised in Fresno and graduated from Fresno High School in 1955. His father introduced him to golf at an early age, and Rick became an accomplished player, winning the Fort Washington club championship as a teen. He went on to compete in a variety of amateur tournaments at both the state and national level, including once being paired in match play against a young prodigy named Jack Nicklaus.

After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from Fresno State in 1960, Rick earned his MBA at the Stanford School of Business. He met his first wife, Helen Bingham, during his time at Stanford, and they were married in June of 1962. They settled in Oakland, where their children Kristen and David were born, and Rick started what would become a long career in the materials handling business -- first working for Hamerslag Equipment Company in Burlingame, and later starting his own company, Storage Concepts, where he designed and installed warehouse systems for companies including The North Face and Birkenstock.

Rick moved to Foster City in 1974, fell in love with birding, and became heavily involved with the Sequoia Audubon Society as well as Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR) in Marin County. He served on the ACR board in various roles, including treasurer and president.

When Rick retired to Sonora in 2004, he joined the Central Sierra Audubon Society, the Tuolumne Historical Society, and the Tuolumne County Genealogical Society. He met Jan Jorn, a fellow member of the Genealogical Society and Audubon, and they were married November 11, 2011.

Rick and Jan enjoyed birding, hiking, playing bridge, taking monthly trips with the Draggin’ Wagons RV Club, attending Columbia College jazz events and basketball games, and sharing great food with the AAUW Gourmet Club.

There will be a celebration of Rick’s life on Sunday, October 22 at the Mountain Springs Golf Club in Sonora from 3 to 5pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Rick’s name to Audubon Canyon Ranch (4900 Shoreline Hwy One, Stinson Beach, CA, 94970).

PAID OBITUARY