Ted Baum: January 7, 1929 – September 9, 2024

Dr. Frederic Wells Baum (Ted) of Carpinteria, California passed away on September 9, 2024, at age 95. He died peacefully in his own home, surrounded by his family. 

Ted was a loving and supportive father to five children and four grandchildren, an enthusiastic golfer, an aggressive doubles tennis player, a dedicated choir singer, and a general tinkerer/builder/fixer of things. As a voracious reader, writer, and literary raconteur, he was widely heralded as “The James Thurber” of his many writing groups. He loved to camp and took dozens of road trips throughout the western United States, always searching for the perfect hike, waterfall, or vista.

Ted’s story began on a chilly winter night on January 7, 1929. He grew up in Salem, Oregon with his devoted parents, William Wells Baum and Daphne Grace Conover, and two younger sisters, Frances and Marion. He left Salem in his early teens to attend Culver Military Academy in Indiana, graduating in the class of 1946. Spending four years away from home at this strictly regimented boarding school instilled a sense of confidence and self-sufficiency that never left him. 

Ted studied psychology at Stanford University, then obtained a medical degree from the University of Oregon in 1955, specializing in pediatrics. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a General Medical Officer, with the rank of Captain. He was stationed in Korea for two years of active duty. 

Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, Ted practiced medicine in Sacramento before realizing his true calling as a public health servant. He enrolled at U.C. Berkeley, where he obtained a master’s degree in Public Health in 1965. He was quickly snatched up by the State of Arizona, which installed him as Director of Maternal and Child Health at Arizona State Children’s Hospital in Tempe. Ted moved his family to Phoenix, where he and his first wife, Rita Ragozzino Baum, built a home in the Arcadia district, a lush suburban enclave carved out of the arid desert near Camelback Mountain. 

Throughout his career, Ted worked diligently to improve the health of pregnant women and their babies. When he began his tenure, Arizona was ranked 35^th out of 50 states for infant mortality, largely due to poor or nonexistent healthcare services on Arizona’s Native American Indian reservations. Thanks to Ted’s foresight and ingenuity – embodied in extensive fundraising, visionary policy decisions, and a statewide medivac program that identified and treated women with high-risk pregnancies in the state’s rural areas, Arizona’s infant mortality rates steadily improved. When Ted retired from public service 23 years later, Arizona was ranked 2^nd out of the 50 states. Ted was also a consultant for the Arizona Association of Midwives and volunteered significant time working with mothers and babies from the Navajo Nation. 

Upon retirement, Ted lived in Durango, Colorado with his second wife, Darleen Benson Baum, before moving to Carpinteria in 1991. While both of his marriages ultimately ended in divorce, he maintained a warm, caring rapport with both wives and remained devoted to the five children that resulted from those unions.

As a single man in his 60s, 70s, and 80s, Ted’s quirky creativity was unleashed. He was a prolific writer of poetry, memoirs, and fantastical tales. His Carpinteria home became a monument to his widespread interests, with medical diplomas, professional awards, and cherished Tribal artifacts interspersed with dozens of family photos, golf trophies, tennis trophies, drawings from his grandchildren, and a treasure trove of arcana collected from thrift stores and garage sales. Ted’s backyard décor featured pink flamingoes in the flowerbeds and artwork salvaged from his many thrifting forays, along with a ramshackle, two-level deck that he constructed to take in the view of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Collectively, this unique outdoor domain was referred to as The Hamptons, a nod to his Great Gatsby persona and the Tall Tales that sprang from it, including a cast-off high-heeled shoe on the edge of the garden, purportedly left behind by Daisy herself.

Ted was a bonafide DIY-er, who didn’t see the point of paying someone to fix something that he could figure out himself. He enjoyed the challenges of problem-solving and the satisfaction of finding solutions. Frugal to the point of earning the nickname The Mizer (aka “The Mize”), Ted was known for doing things his way, and he developed his own unique aesthetic: There were no rules of fashion he would not break or standards of home decorating he would not disregard. 

For many years, Ted attended Faith Lutheran Church in Carpinteria, where he sang in the choir and served as an Elder. His Christian faith was important to him throughout his life, and a comfort to him in the months and weeks leading up to his death. 

Ted’s transition to the other side was gentle and peaceful. He spent his final days sharing his writing, serving up witty remarks, listening to classical music, singing along to his favorite Neil Diamond songs, cuddling with his cat, Victoria, and sharing his warmth with everybody within reach. He is lovingly remembered by his two wives – Rita Ragozzino Baum and Darleen Benson – and survived by his five children: Edward Baum, David Baum (Susie), Daphne Baum Small (Tim), Kimberly Baum, Kathryn Starr-Baum (Sam), and four grandchildren: Matthew Baum, Emily Baum, Julianna Small Nicolai (Chase), and Johnathan Small.

Ted’s family and friends will gather on Friday, October 4 at 1:30 PM at the Santa Barbara Cemetery Chapel (901 Channel Drive Santa Barbara, CA 93108), followed by a private family burial. A celebratory reception will be held immediately following the service; location details to be announced. Please RSVP to dwbaum@mac.com if you would like to attend the service and reception.