Hobey Baker Documentary

[ONEALM]

For those of you not in the N.H. area (like me....) the NH Public TV organization has produced a documentary about the life of Hobey Baker.

It was aired on NHPTV about 2 months ago, but I just received a copy of it and watched it for the first time last night. The producer, Paul Lally, did a good job of getting his history correct and while he relies on footage of DH-4's to fill the air time when he could have easily gotten something Hobey actually flew, he does come through with a couple of stellar points.

First, he interviews Charles Woolley. Charlie, as many of you know, is a terrific historian and author and has produced the thus far definitive histories of both the 94th and 95th Aero Squadrons. His most recent book "Echoes of Eagles" is primarily about his father's experiences with the 95th and later the 49th Aero as a flight commander. As a kid, Charlie knew many of the pilots who knew Hobey, so his insights are valuable.

The big hit is that Paul was able to interview Hobey Baker II - yes I said Hobey Baker II. Not Hobey's son, but Hobey's brother Thornton's son. He's about 84 or so know, but his input to the project, insights into Hobey and just his genetics make the appearance noteworthy.

Because Hobey's aviation activity was just about a year of his life, lots of time is devoted to his stellar athletic career at St. Pauls, Princetonn and later with St. Nicks in New York. But a good deal of the time is devoted to his WW I period. We WW I bigots will have wanted more aviation content, but this is a life-biography and that portion of Hobey's life was painfully short.

Additional features on the video are more of the interview material which did not make the final edit, a Hobey Baker Scrapbook with photos and newsclippings, some additional aviation footage - DH-4's..... - and some a list of the HObey Baker Memorial Award winners. The Hobey, fo those who do not know, is awarded to the top college hockey player in the country.

I enjoyed the show and as a lasting tribute to a national icon of amateur sports and later aviation, I think it's a fitting tribute.

Here's a link to the site.

NHPTV Hobey Baker link

The bad news appears to be the only way to get a copy is pledge to the station - $90.00. I do not know if there is a direct purchase option.

If you're a Hobey fan - I suggest you find a copy.

Keep at it,
Mike