Baakkonen, Donald & Joan (Santi)

The door to City Hall opened early on the balmy summer afternoon of July 12, 2012, and a couple entered.  Both city employees were engaged in separate telephone conversations at the time, so the couple began quietly wandering around, perusing maps and informational displays.

Moments earlier the editor from the newly formed East Gull Lake History Committee had also stopped by and was scanning photos.  Noticing the situation, she walked over and extended a greeting.  “Hello, Brenda or Kathy will be with you shortly, but meanwhile may I help?”

Joan (Santi) Baakkonen smiled and said she and her husband, Ronald, were back in the area from their California residence visiting relatives for a few days, and Ronald wanted to stop by and see inside his former school building.

At that point, Linda (Olsen) Engel introduced herself, offered the visitors a place to sit and grabbed notebook, pen and camera.  The timing was fortuitous and Ronald began sharing delightful memories of family history going back to when the Baakkonens originally owned three lots on Green Gables Road.  In 1935, the family hauled sand from the beach to make cement blocks for the foundation of their house which would be constructed from box car lumber.

Ronald’s parents were Arthur J. and Helen (Lee) Baakkonen.  His paternal grandfather, Joseph Baakkonen, worked as a blacksmith for the railroad.  Joseph and wife Elena (Ritari) Baakkonen raised 6 children, one of whom was uncle Reino. (Reino’s daughter Diane Baakkonen Eksten’s story on this website contains additional facts relative to this extended family.)  Earnie Ritari, the original owner of Ernie’s Resort and Bar, was Ronald’s great uncle.

Ronald’s mother, Helen Lee, grew up in one of the pioneer families living near the Gull River and played with Native American children who lived near the Gull Dam.  One of the activities she learned from those early encounters was making corn husk dolls, a talent she gladly passed on to her grandchildren.  When visiting in California, she even went into her grandsons’ classrooms to demonstrate the craft. 

Ronald looked around the City Council meeting room and began to reminisce about having several different teachers serve over the years he attended the one room school. The enrollment averaged about 25, with only two classmates in his grade.  Everyone brought their own lunches.  For recess, there would be games of softball and time to enjoy the swing set.  A coal shoot transported fuel to the basement furnace, and his cousin Elmer drove the school. After grade 7 and through the 12th, students attended Franklin Junior and Washington Senior High Schools in Brainerd.

Following graduation, Donald became a pilot and flew 20 years for the Navy then 18 more years commercially.  This vocation enabled him to experience many places around the world, including Singapore, the Mediterranean region, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.  He even lived in Europe four years.

However, he met his wife, Joan, while stationed in California.  They married in 1963 and have two sons:  Kristian Arthur Baakkonen who lives in Lafayette, CA and Ronald Santi Baakkonen, residing in Chicago.  Joan was an elementary school teacher when they met, and also spent some time working as an art editor and illustrator for a corporate magazine which was a paper mill industry publication before so many plants began to consolidate.

Ronald had 2 siblings:  sister Jo Thompson and brother Gene.

Linda (Olsen) Engel  EGL History Editor