Bob was born in Dayton Ohio February 18, 1906 to the late Edwin and Mary (Wood) Baird. He got his first job at age ten working for a dressmaker as a bicycle delivery boy. He still had the first $2 bill he ever earned. During high school he worked summers for Dayton Power and Light driving an "energy truck" to all fire calls. It was his job to cut power and gas lines to the house before fire department got there. He went through school in Dayton and was an Ohio State High School Swimming and Diving champion.

In 1924 he worked for Morkum Klienschmit Teletype in Chicago putting together early teletype machines. He was fired after one week for gambling. "Another guy asked me if I wanted to match quarters and we got caught." He worked in a variety of jobs in Ohio and Illinois, building and repairing radios and other electronic equipment.

In 1935, while looking for a job, he stopped at WTBS radio station to get away from storm and bad roads. The station had just been bought by WGN. He met "Blackie" W9BBU working there who sent him to Carl Myers chief engineer of WGN. Bob knew Myers from a ham club in Cincinnati. He started WGN for $35 a week, big money in 1935.

While at WGN he engineered many of the local and network radio shows, including Little Orphan Annie, Captain Midnight, The Wayne King Lady Esther Serenade show, and many seasons of Cubs and Bears games. He retired as Engineering Supervisor in 1971 and moved to Plover, Wisconsin.

During World War II, Bob taught a radio operators school for the US Navy at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

This collage was assembled by Bob and Betty Johnson WD9AUC several weeks before his death as a "thank you" to his friends.

He married Lorraine C. Neitzel December 26, 1947 in Wisconsin Rapids. She preceded him in death in 1980.

His longevity allowed him to witness many historical moments of the twentieth century. In 1910, from the shoulders of his father, he saw a strange glow in the sky that he would later learn was Halley's Comet. 76 years later while standing on the beach of his winter residence in Cocoa Beach, Florida, he watched the Space Shuttle Challenger explode.

He was an early pioneer in Amateur Radio first starting to experiment as a youngster. He was first licensed at age 14 in 1920 as 8BTI. He later became 8CWR and was among those attending the second ARRL National Convention in Chicago in 1923. He acquired the callsign 9NN in 1927. As W9NN he was known worldwide. He also held a simultaneous call W9JJ from 1959 to 1980. That call is now held by ARRL VEC Manager Bart Jahnke. According to Jahnke, Bob, who up until age 90 held an Advanced class license, called him in 1996 and said, "Bart, the local VE team twisted my arm--they need more Extra class VEs in the club--so I just upgraded. Can you send me new credentials?"

He was charter member Number 52 of the Quarter Century Wireless Association and is listed on the QCWA Honor Roll. He was also a member of the British First Class CW Operators Club (FOC), and the ARRL-FOC, number 1162. He co-founded the W9-DXCC gathering. He was member number 462 of the Old Old Timers Club.

Locally he was an active member of the QCWA Chapter 174, the Central Wisconsin Radio Amateurs at UWSP in Stevens Point, and the Rib Mountain Repeater Association.

He was an avid collector of early radio and TV memorabilia. In addition to Amateur Radio he enjoyed golfing, water skiing and motorcycling.

He died at home August 1st 2002 while under the care of Ministry Home Care Hospice Services.

Survivors include 1 cousin, Gracemary Rhone of Marro Bay, California, and radio friends from around the world.

A memoriam has been set up for the Quarter Century Wireless Association's scholarship fund. Any donations can be sent to payable to "QCWA Scholarship Fund" in care of: