Haddonfield Resident To Receive County Freedom Medal

HADDONFIELD, NJ — A Haddonfield resident is among 13 throughout Camden County who will be honored for their unselfish contributions to improving their community at the 2018 Camden County Freedom Medal Ceremony on Jan. 17, officials announced this week.

Walt Baker will receive the award, which was created by the county in 2001 to honor civic leaders who demonstrate the ideals and actions that reflect the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

He will receive his award during a ceremony at the Camden County Boathouse at Cooper River, located at 7050 North Park Drive in Pennsauken, 7 p.m. The awards ceremony will be preceded by a dinner at 6 p.m.

“Each year since 2001, the Camden County Freedom Medal has been presented to honor extraordinary Camden County citizens who have generously contributed their time and effort to better their community while espousing the ideals indicative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “These exemplary citizens have demonstrated significant contributions in the area of community service. They serve as a model to us all.”

Baker knows no limits in his goal of helping others. Whether it be with more than six decades of involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as treasurer and director of the Haddonfield 65 Club for a decade, about 7,300 hours at Cooper Hospital in Camden, or with his mentoring of others on how to handle CPR and a variety of other life-saving techniques with American Red Cross over 25 years, Baker is everywhere doing everything for others.

He served in the U.S. Marines during the Korean War and subsequently worked as an electrical engineering technician at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Center for 36 years in government service. But the most enjoyable part of his life was his marriage for 54 years to his wife Dolores, who passed away in June 2010. Together they had three sons and a daughter and five grandchildren.

Others who will be honored include:

• Muqaddas Ejaz, Cherry Hill Township;
• Charles Y. Murphy III, Cherry Hill Township;
• Carolyn Bates, Winslow Township;
• Cornelius F. Butler, Lawnside;
• Jerry Chambers, Collingswood;
• Davon Clark, Pennsauken Township;
• Andre Fooks, Winslow Township;
• Victoria Frasier, Winslow Township;
• James McCulley, Pine Hill;
• Jose Sanchez, Camden;
• Debbie Simone, Gloucester Township; and
• Rick Taylor, Pennsauken Township.