Buster Baird

Clarendon, TX

Address information may be obtained by emailing your request to the webmaster

I will not attend the reunion because I will be out of town at or around that time; however, I would have enjoyed visiting with all of you.   

My father moved our family to Rio Hondo, Texas my sophomore year.  It just about killed me, but I made the best of it.  In August of 1958 after graduation from there I went to North Texas State in Denton, Texas to play football.  (While there I met Burl Kirby and John Darby.)  Since I did not want to play 4 years behind Abner Haynes (ha), I transferred to Texas A&I in Kingsville, TX and met Tommy Gindorf playing basketball there for the Javalinas (ha).  Anyway, I hurt my legs real bad during my freshmen year after 5 starts and left college and came back to Pampa in February of 1959. 

I worked at Laketon, TX for wheat growers until my legs healed and then went to work for the Santa Fe RR.  I married Sue Cox from Alanreed, Texas. We married in Pampa, Texas in 1960. She was working for the Hughes Corp. in the Hughes Bldg.  We lived in Pampa until December of 1960 and moved to Spearman, Texas where our youngest son was born. 

We moved to Amarillo in June of 1961 where I adopted 3 children that my wife had: a daughter LaWanna Baird, son Mark Baird and daughter Darla Kay Baird. LaWanna now lives in Amarillo.  Mark also lives in Amarillo and is the CEO of All Pro Roofing.  Darla Kay lives in Borger and has taught school for over 14 years in Quanah, Amarillo, and Borger.  Our youngest son, Doug, lives in Clovis NM and runs a car dealership there and also has a used car lot. They all graduated from Pampa High School.  I have 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. 

I traveled several years with Santa Fe RR as agent, telegrapher and settled in Pampa in the 60s. Around 1979 my wife and I moved to Borger.  We both worked in Borger until 1985.  She quit and I transferred to Amarillo until 1989 when they transferred me to Albuquerque, NM, supposedly for the rest of my working years (ha).  In 1993 they moved my office to Topeka, Kansas, and I lacked at least 7 more years before I could retire.  I worked in Topeka as Supervisor in Customer Quality Service - helping develop new OS2 programs for dialing from customers to clerical for helping to find information for customers - their products and information.  I worked with this program until Burlington Northern bought the Santa Fe RR in 1996 and 1997.  

I worked for BNSF RR until Sept 30, 2000 and had 3 months sick and vacation time left so I would be able to retire by Oct 9, 2000.  At that time I would be 61 years old so I took the buyout offer and retired.  We moved to Lake Greenbelt at Howardwick, Texas on Sept 30, 2000.  I had bought a place here in 1996.

I spend most of my time working in the garden, flowerbeds and yard - love the heat and outside gardening.  I spend every day helping at the city hall of Howardwick as an alderman here ... hoping to make our little town a little better.  I have met and enjoyed visiting with Joy Rice in Pampa.  I met Frank Snow here at the lake when he was looking for a recreational place to stay on weekends. 

Well, I cannot think of anything else to tell you except I do love the Lord and know him as my personal lord and savior.  It is through Jesus Christ we are all saved and hope everyone does the same.  We need this for morality in the U.S. today if we are to save our country.  We need to have God back in our schools and life.  Thanks for contacting me, and God bless you all.