Tribute to Laurence Baker - 1962 - 2002 
Page last updated: 2 September, 2009
This article was first published in ThumbPrint Magazine in 2003. It's been reproduced here with permission.
Laurence, who sadly died in December last year left his own special legacy to his Branch — its very own website. He was webmaster of the North West London Branch, a role he combined with editing its newsletter while coping with the increasing limitations MND forced on him.
His Association Visitor; Maureen Phelps, recalls Laurence’s enthusiasm for life and his determination to set up a 
website for the Branch. “It all came from him — the whole thing was Laurence’s idea and he was determined to get it up and running,” explains Maureen. “When he was no longer able to operate the computer manually it was adapted so that he could operate it on screen by using his big toe on a switch at the end of his bed. It was a laborious process but he made it work”
Laurence will be remembered by the many who met him as a man who quite simply loved life — no matter how tough it got.
“The thing about Laurence was that he was never ever unhappy, he never said he couldn't bear it. He was a shining light in the Branch — a normal chap who loved a laugh, to smoke and drink” says Maureen.
Laurence, who had a degree in computer science, gave up his job at Reuters shortly after his diagnosis. “He didn’t want his expertise to go to waste and that is why he was so enthusiastic about our website, which launched in autumn 2001. His 13-year-old son Paul often helped out as well, so it was a family effort.”
Laurence was also keen that others should learn more about MND by meeting him. He visited National Office staff to talk about how his condition affected him, and was a regular delegate at the Association’s Annual Conference. “He was determined to carry on with his life and enjoy every moment as best he could,” adds Maureen.
Webmaster's Note: Since the launch of our Website, we have used the above photograph of Laurence and Paul on the main page of our site and more recently as the background to our posters. We received an email from Laurence saying that he was "honored" that we had used his photograph as our "Logo". We would like to send our sympathies to Laurence's family, friends, the North West London Branch and thank them for allowing us to continue to use his photograph.
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