Campus mom to some and Beloved Friend to All
He is not sure if she ever saw the text he sent her of a picture of his newly born son. But, two days later, Keegan Tomita ’13 learned that his “campus mom” had lost her battle to cancer. Marlene Baker was more than just an administrator for Tomita, whose family grew close to the affable longtime Silversword, inviting her to stay with them on Mercer Island in Washington during the summer and even inviting her to Keegan’s wedding.
“Who invites their counselor to their wedding,” quips Tomita, chuckling as he utters those words. “She was truly my mom away from home who was just like family. I still think that I can pick up the phone and hear her voice.”
Jennifer Creech can. The Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success kept the last voicemail Baker ever left her just before she was admitted to the hospital in July 2022. Her voice weakened from chemotherapy treatment, Baker told Creech that she “had to go to the hospital, but not to worry, and that she would be back in the office in a couple of days.”
“She knew all the secrets of Chaminade and they were in her vault,” says Creech, gesturing to her temple. “She would get here every day by 6 in the morning, placing flowers on peoples’ desks and waiting for students to visit her in her office. Chaminade was truly her home.”
And it was Baker’s home for more than 50 years, dating back to a time when she left Maui as a 17-year-old college-bound student, eager to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the Kalaepōhaku campus. She would eventually attain her BA in Social Studies in 1972, later earning a master’s in Counseling Psychology in 1988. Not only was Baker an empathetic listener but she was a consummate student, a trait that wasn’t lost on English professor Linda Iwamoto.
“My first memory of Marlene was as a student erectly sitting in the first row,” says Iwamoto, who would enjoy a five-decade-long relationship with Baker and would serve as Baker’s matron of honor at her wedding. “She was always attentive, very shy, and she had beautiful handwriting.”
These days, the art of cursive writing has given way to dexterous texting and instant messages, such as the one Pono Riddle received from Baker on July 28, 2022. After sending her a text noting that he would see her when he returned from a trip, Baker wrote “I love you and miss you.”
“I first met Marlene online when she made my schedule my freshman year,” says Riddle ’18 (BS), ’21 (MEd), Associate Director of the Office of Student Success. “One day I was working at Macy’s and I saw a woman wearing a name tag with the name Marlene in the Bridal Registry department. We got to talking and it turned out that I was the Andre Riddle whom she created the class schedule for. That day sparked a forever friendship throughout my time at Chaminade. I still miss hearing the Hawaiian music coming out of her office.”
It wasn’t unusual for Baker to receive invitations to people’s homes or to be asked to become a godmother. Koreen Nakahodo, Ph.D., made the request twice: once for herself and another for her daughter. “I’ve known Marlene since I was 21 years old,” says the Chaminade Assistant Professor of English. “Since she was from Maui, she took care of all the Neighbor Island kids, feeding them at times and even inviting them to her home for the holidays when they wouldn’t fly home.
“There were so many people that Marlene touched,” Nakahodo adds. “And it gives me great pride and joy—as I am sure it will with others—to contribute to the Chaminade Fund in honor of Marlene. She truly brought so much meaning and joy in so many people’s lives here at Chaminade.”