Longboat Key Obituaries: Nov. 30, 2017

Richard Warren Baum

Richard W. Baum, 94, of Sarasota, died Nov. 12.

Dick Baum often shared how many scholarships the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key awarded with his son, Bill. 

“He was always excited about Kiwanis,” Bill Baum said. “He  enjoyed seeing the help they could do to the youth in the community.”

As a past president, he was a faithful member, said John Wild, a longtime Longboat Kiwanian.

“He was a loyal Kiwanis,” Wild said. “He always participated in everything and really was an asset.” 

Mr. Baum, 94, died Nov. 12. 

He was born in Atchison, Kan., in 1923 to Warene B. and Arthur F. Baum.

During World War II, Mr. Baum served with the U.S. Army in Europe. He was a graduate of Indiana University and the Northwestern University Institute of Management and was a member of Sigma Chi and Delta Sigma Pi.

A career human resources adviser, Mr. Baum taught at Washington University in St. Louis and worked for Mobil Oil Corp. for 13 years. He later moved to the position of senior vice president of human resources with the Chicago Title and Trust Co., where he was a pioneer in the development of affirmative action programs. Mr. Baum retired from CT&T after 24 years of service.

He was the past president of the Industrial Relations Association of Chicago and active in the University Club of Chicago.

“Many people that I’ve met over my lifetime said how much they enjoyed working with my father,” Bill Baum said. “Being an HR professional like he was, he was a natural at getting along easily with people and finding compromise but sticking to his position also.” 

Mr. Baum moved to Longboat Key from Lake Forest, Ill., in 1986. While living on Longboat Key, he served as president of the Federation of Longboat Key Condominiums and of the Seaplace Condominium Association.

“He was outgoing, a man of integrity and well-respected by everyone he came in contact with,” Bill Baum said. “I think you see that by the number of organizations where they eventually elected him president.”

Mr. Baum was a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key and a trustee and past president of the Foundation of the Kiwanis Club. 

A lifelong Presbyterian, Mr. Baum served as an elder on the sessions of the Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook, Ill., and the First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota.

He and his wife, Jeanne, moved to Sarasota’s Plymouth Harbor retirement community in 2007.

Mr. Baum is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jeanne K.; daughter, Sharon B. Nielsen; two sons, Charles R. and William A. Baum; their spouses; six grandchildren; and five great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St. The family will receive friends in the fellowship hall after the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Imagine the Future Capital Campaign, First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St., or to the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key Foundation, P.O. Box 8097, Longboat Key, FL 34228.

Alex Lawrence

Alex Lawrence, 80, of  Longboat Key, and formerly, Charleston, W. Va., died Nov. 22.

He was born in Huntington, W. Va., and graduated from Marshall University in 1959. He received his law degree from Suffolk University in Boston.

Mr. Lawrence served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant in charge of cryptographic transmissions and was stationed at Vent Hill Farm Station, Va., and Fort Monmouth, N.J.

Early in his career, Mr. Lawrence worked in Boston with International Nickel. He returned to West Virginia in the early 1970s and headed up industrial development for the state of West Virginia and traveled to many foreign countries. Mr. Lawrence spent years working as a broker in the coal industry. He was also a franchisee with Taco Bell and owned restaurants throughout West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Lawrence was a gifted athlete. In college, he played baseball and was named to the All Mid-American Conference team as a first baseman, going an entire season with no errors. He was an avid skier and tennis player, winning hundreds of tournaments, including the National Senior Olympics tennis title in Tucson, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lucille and Albert Lawrence, and sister, Julie Ryder.

He is survived by his wife, Kim; daughter Angi; dog, Champ; and many friends.