Who is Jeffrey A. Baker? Located on the southeast corner of 66th Street and St. Louis Avenue is an honorary street sign with his name on it. While I have passed that way many times, recently the sun was hitting the sign just right and it caught my attention. So, I thought I’d find out who this fellow was that left enough of an impact in the area where the sign is that he was awarded an honorary street sign.
Unfortunately, my search did not bear fruit. It turns out there is no master list or database so no one knows exactly how many honorary street signs even adorn Chicago streets.
According to a 2024 WBEZ podcast, Chicago started commemorating people who left their mark on the city through honorary signs starting in the 1960s as an informal way to celebrate notable people without the logistical nightmare of officially changing a street name.
The system was formalized in 1984. City Council digital records showed that ‘around 725’ signs have been approved since 2010. But records before that time are iffy and incomplete, which is why I suppose there does not seem to be a record of the man behind the street sign labeled Jeffrey A. Baker.
I did find a gentleman who died at the very young age of 28 who had a connection to the area. That was back in April of 2000. I was thinking the sign might be in honor of him. Perhaps he was a coach? Jeffrey A. Baker must have contributed greatly to the area to have earned an honorary street sign. Perhaps one of you knows who the man is behind the sign?