Comments on: Gertrude Baker Remembered

By: Bev Stephenson

Bev Stephenson — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:56:17 +0000

Gert was the first friend I made when I moved to San Antonio. I’ve been trying to find her for at least 3 years, since I last called her and it was a wrong no. Thank you for posting this, so now I know. Even after I moved to pastor, we still would pick up the phone and talk like we’d just spoken the day before. One day I stopped by her house on the way to see my partner in the hospital. Gert wanted to show me something. She showed me pictures she’d had taken to be sent in to the Black Nurses’ Assoc. where she was being honored that year – ’81, I believe. I took one look and got goose bumps. I told her, “Do you realize this is a classic?” She gave me one, and I still have it. It hung on my wall for years.

I’ll miss Gert – I miss the late night talks we had – and I’ll never forget her. No, I wasn’t part of her theater friends, but did used to go see her act. She dearly loved it. Thank you for allowing me to know even more about her and letting me express how I feel too.

By: James Vander Velde

James Vander Velde — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:49:12 +0000

Whatsa Gert? A good fun-loving friend, a mentor, and a pleasant well-spoken woman. I am certain that Tony, Janice and Charley are ready with a coctail–cause it’s 5 o’clock somewhere and they are just waiting on you. God Bless.

By: Antoinette V. Franklin

Antoinette V. Franklin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:15:57 +0000

I remember Gert as a no nonsense woman, but she was willing to help and give a part of herself to others. I attended Romero and Juliet in the park once and was intranced by her performance, I can still feel the chills going down my spine. She was the one who always spoke her mind at Debra (Fatimah) Medows parties and leave us breathless with laughter. I was grateful for her as a director in 2001. I had lost my mother the year before and couldn’t write. Through her direction and Sharon Brigeforth’s encouraging us to write I not only wrote but came back to me.
Thank-you Gert I will always treasure you.

By: Mary Grace Rodriguez

Mary Grace Rodriguez — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:46:52 +0000

Circa 1998

Don’t know for sure if you were there that night
Lisa Mellinger had in tow the woman who brought the house down—
wish you were here to tell it.

How the music surged and she began singing
When everything stopped
not a breath wasted
all eyes turned and muscles released in rhythm
to R-E-S-P-E-C-T,
Aretha, the Divine
with a little help from

the Barkeep,
throwing his towel down in time with the beat;
A Stranger at the next table,
androgynous at best;
the Busboy
and Waiter who’d just brought bread
All became Herculean

and you, so alive
in the Liberty Bar—just the way I suppose
your friend, Drew, would have wanted it.

By: Bonnie Reed

Bonnie Reed — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:15:13 +0000

Oh, my dear dear Gert, I will miss you. Gert and I became friends during our two productions of A….My Name is Alice. We continued to meet on a semi-regular basis at the same Mexican restaurant on the west side. I never knew which Gert I was going to greet, the happy, wildly excited Gert, the animated angry Gert, the dark and troubled Gert, or the soft caring, devoted Gert. Sometimes I got them all. It could be exhausting but I never missed the opportunity to be with her. She had such courage and once she got something in her head there was no shaking it loose or even tempering it. She was what she was. She thought what she thought and that was it. Take it or leave it. She could make me full out laugh better than anyone I know. The joy she got out of life, her friends, her work was all in her face. What a beautiful face.

When I would visit her at the nursing home it was still Gert, just a gentler one. I missed the edgy, frustrated, angry Gert. I fed on her energy, her strength, her determination. I often wished I had her power, the power that made others take notice, listen up and even fear her. She brought that same energy to her complete and total loyalty to those she loved. I will always cherish the fact that I was included among her many friends and the beneficiary of her great love. I am so sad.

By: Lisa Suarez

Lisa Suarez — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:54:54 +0000

I first met Gertrude at Incarnate Word College where we both took Group Voice together with opera singer and music professor Debbie Bussineau back in the 80′s. I remember her recital song. She did a wonderfully moving rendition of “Send in the Clown.” ‘I already miss her strong voice. Since then I had the honor — granted by her! — of being her friend.

We worked together on stage and I even had the rare opportunity of directing her! Oh yea! You can imagine what that was like! Me, tell Gertrude what to do?! I don’t think so — so I didn’t! I learned how to be “strongly suggestive” and how to draw from her what was needed for the production–or at least what she thought was needed for the production. She was great and she taught me alot.

I already miss her strong voice… but, mostly I miss her laughter.

By: michael

michael — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:53:59 +0000

Here's Gertrude in High Yellow Rose.

By: Michele Brinkley

Michele Brinkley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:47:10 +0000

Michael, Thank you! When we were working on Gert’s tribute 12 years ago, who would have ever guessed this video would–so appropriately–reappear as a tribute to her at the time of her passing? This was healing for me. Plus, I felt like I got to visit with Sterling again. Thank you.

By: Michael Verdi

Michael Verdi — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:05:52 +0000

Here's a video that Jen Simmons directed for the Esperanza's tribute to Gertrude in 1997.

By: Felice Garcia

Felice Garcia — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:09:01 +0000

I remember working with Gertrude on Khmer Amerika. I also remember she donated two kerosin heaters so that we might warm up every once and a while during the reahearsals. I have fond mememories of us hudled in front of those heaters. High Yellow Rose was the first and last show I worked on with Gertrude. She was the perfect Joe. I will miss her bamboozling me on stage, I will miss her big brown eyes and bosterous laugh.