David Baker was a talented troubadour who played in the Boiling Springs/Carlisle area for many years. He frequently played at The Sportsman in Perry County and was the featured entertainer at Allenberry's Granary.

Dave was a graduate of Penn State, an avid football fan, and an English teacher for many years until he followed his vocation as an entertainer. Playing as a solo act and in various groups, he garnered quite a following, and was even immortalized in a running gag at Allenberry's Murder Mystery Weekends, getting killed off every year and returning one year after another.

Dave was good-natured, kind, and warm. When he married his true love "E" (Elizabeth), he became a father to four lovely daughters he raised as his own. And as his musical career flourished, he spent his spare time cooking and teaching his grandchildren valuable lessons. He had as many friends as fans, and entertained at many of their weddings.

Dave's mellifluous tones were silenced at age 50 in 1997, when he suffered a brain stem aneurysm. We were devastated by his loss. And the droves of musicians that attended his memorial  sat on his back deck afterward, playing guitars and singing for hours, celebrating all the songs we played with Dave in life.

Jere Heinze, a childhood friend of Dave's and co-owner of Allenberry Resort, looked at the musical gathering that day and said that we had to do something with this. He and "E" began to discuss what has now become the David E. Baker Scholarship Trust, awarding significant financial support to South Middleton residents who aspire to major in the arts in college, show leadership, and display academic achievement. Dave believed in music, education, and being an upstanding person. This is how we, his friends and family, continue his legacy.