Baldridge retires after 20 years of service to CIVIC, ICFRC
By Cassandra Lalan
Myriam Fallon
Baldridge receives a scrapbook and monetary gift from Thais Winkleblack, ICFRC president, at a retirement party held in Baldridge’s honor.
After 20 years of welcoming international guests and speakers to Iowa City, Tom Baldridge is looking forward to finally having some time to himself.
Baldridge, who retired as director of the Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities (CIVIC) and the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC) last December, has been involved with both organizations for almost as long as they have existed. His commitment has helped grow and improve the programs since he began work for them in 1987.
“He has gone above and beyond the call of duty innumerable times to accommodate visitors,” said Jean Lloyd Jones, president of CIVIC. “Whether it’s a last minute change in the schedule, a request to visit a farm, an emergency trip to the hospital, or a need for new luggage, Tom takes it all in stride and sends them away thinking Iowa City is thebest place on earth.”
Baldridge has spent most of his life in Iowa City. He was born here, graduated from Iowa City High School, and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa. However, before he began his career of helping others experience different cultures, he spent 12 years experiencing life abroad through the military and the American Foreign Services.
As part of the Reserve Officer Training Corps, Baldridge served a year in the Korean War immediately after graduating from the UI.
“The experience led me to believe the common phrase, ‘war is not the answer,’” Baldridge said. “Korea was devastated. The countryside was virtually barren. It was a very depressing situation.”
After returning to Iowa City and the UI to begin graduate school, Baldridge hired to conduct background checks in Munich on refugees who werre applying for visas after World War II. He spent two years there.
Following his time in Munich, he began working for the American Foreign Services. After training in Washington, D.C., he traveled to Zurich, and Constantine, Algeria, as a correspondent. He was eventually transferred to the embassy in Laos during the time of the Vietnam War.
“The prime minister in Laos was a dictator,” Baldridge said. “However, he was anti-communist, which made him our ally. It’s unfortunate that during this time we embraced anyone who was anti-communist, no matter how undemocratic he might have been.”
In 1965, after working and serving abroad for 12 years, Baldridge returned to the place where he was born and raised, and where he eventually became an integral part of International Programs.
In the mid-80’s, there was an effort by citizens in the Iowa City area to establish the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council to provide the community with the opportunity to hear from speakers from around the world.
“Because of my background, I was asked to be a part of the board, which was actually more of a planning group,” Baldridge said.
While ICFRC was still getting its feet on the ground, the Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities was formed to accommodate the growing number of international guests visiting the area. As with ICFRC, Baldridge became an essential part of the program.
“Tom has been very dedicated to his position,” said Thais Winkleback, president of the ICFRC board. “He has built CIVIC and ICFRC into the programs they are today.”
Due in part to Baldridge’s dedication, both CIVIC and ICFRC have grown considerably over the years—both in size and quality. CIVIC now welcomes approximately 100 visitors to Iowa City each year, while ICFRC has increased its number of annual luncheons and programs from five to 25.
“I think everyone who interacts with Tom knows he has a passion for what he does, and that’s one of the most effective ways to promote our organization,” Winkleback said.
While Baldridge has left his mark on countless international visitors, they have left their marks on him as well. Baldridge’s memory is full of experiences that working with international visitors has provided him.
Baldridge recalls a recent incident when French Cabinet adviser Francois Touazi asked to talk with some University students while visiting Iowa City. Their conversation ended up lasting an hour longer than scheduled.
“I had a feeling he wanted to take a measurement of American youth and the future of the U.S.,” Baldridge said. “I think he was impressed because these kids were bright and articulate, and had a world interest beyond the Iowa cornfields.”
While Baldridge is retired, he will remain a resource for CIVIC and ICFRC, who Lloyd-Jones said cannot afford to lose his “encyclopedic” knowledge of both programs. Baldridge said he is happy to accommodate, as his passion for international guests remains as strong as ever.
“The best part about working with international visitors is that it lets you travel around the world while staying right here,” Baldridge said. “It saves a lot on airline expenses.”