Gabriel Wium of Roxbury sits in the child’s corner that will soon have new displays built by Clarence Baker. Photo by Sue Nevins, The Northfield News When Roxbury Free Librarian Susan D'Amico applied for a Winnie Belle Learned Grant to purchase more user-friendly book display units, she had a couple of models in mind from a library supply catalog. By the time she was notified that the library had been chosen to receive the funds, she had already decided that a local woodcrafter, Clarence Baker, could do a better job.

The grant committee, apparently on the same wavelength as the librarian, recommended she find someone local to construct custom-made shelves. "Clarence is just a natural for this," Ms. D'Amico said. "he can look at a piece and visiualize the most out of what he's got in materials."

Clarence Baker, a Roxbury native, has been interested in woodworking and furniture for most of his life. After attending the Roxbury Village School, he went to Northfield High School and then Spaulding where he studied the building trades and cabinet making. In addition to these skills, Clarence also builds and refinishes furniture and canes chairs and does Rush seats, which are like rope. Some of his experience with chairs was gained from his years working at the now-closed Mad River Chair Works in Waterbury, where he did chair weaving and also taught other employees this skill. One of his most memorable and challenging experiences was restoring a wicker chair that had sentimental meaning to the owner. To salvage the chair, Clarence had to make a large frame, about 5X5 feet, and complete the replacement weaving on the frame. Then he took this piece, which would replace most of the seat and back of the existing wicker chair, and attached it to the dilapidated piece. "The chair was falling apart," he says now. "That was quite a deal to do. It took quite a while but it came out really nice."

Roxbury native, Clarence Baker works in his shop creating the new childrens display for the Roxbury Free Library. Photo by Sue Nevins, The Northfield News Clarence has also showed his talents in two area homes. His previous home, on the Warren Mountain Road, is a Ward Log Home he put together some years ago in his spare time after work and on the weekends. His current home, which he shares with his wife Violet and their two dogs, is a showcase for Clarence's creative style. Originally a mobile home, his house has both front and rear additions which show exposed beams and picture windows. The rear addition has a large floor made with flat stones from the nearby brook settled into cement, making modern day, nature-lover's mosaic. The picture windows, which Clarence salvaged and created from old sliding doors, look out onto a pond with a covered bridge, which, as one might guess, was built by him. "I also love landscaping," he says with a chuckle.

Next to this home is Clarence's workshop, which he hopes to enlarge in the future. Other woodworking projects he enjoys are making shadow boxes and wooden animals, such as elephants, cats, and cows. He recently made a couple of roosters which he passed on to his sister, Roxbury resident Jeanette Messier, to paint. They are thinking of producing more of these, with thoughts of selling them. He also wants to experiment with wood sculpting.

For the last 14 years Clarence has worked as a carpenter, though he is currently between carpentry jobs. He also works when needed with the Town of Roxbury plowing snow and is the town's constable.

When asked of his goals for the future, this quiet craftsman talks of working fulltime again, as well as enlarging his woodshop to allow for more possibilities for his own business. He quickly moves the conversation away from himself, though, and says he wants to "help people who need help, help people do things." He has another book display unit to finish for the library but says there will be leftover material. He plans to donate his time to build an extra piece, since the wood is already there. When a visitor mentions the Roxbury Historical Society, he immediately asks what he can do to help, and fondly recalls that he and a former resident put the roof on the tiny building several years ago.

"I like to help. It's a difficult time for everyone," he says.