Baird (W. David) Papers

W. David Baird was Dean Emeritus of Seaver College at Pepperdine University. He was a native of Edmond, Oklahoma, and served as Dean of Seaver College from 1998 to 2008. He obtained his AA degree from George Washington University; his BA degree in History and Geography from the University of Central Oklahoma; and his MA and PhD degrees in History and Geography from the University of Oklahoma. He served on the History faculty at the University of Arkansas (1968–1978) and Oklahoma State University (1978–1988), then coming to Pepperdine as the Howard A. White Professor of History in 1988, and became the Dean of Seaver College in 1998.

Dr. Baird has written and edited many books and articles about the history of the American West and Native Americans. Some of his most notable books include a biography of Peter Pitchlynn (University of Oklahoma Press, 1972 and 1986), a history of the Quapaw Indians (University of Oklahoma Press, 1988), and a history of the state of Oklahoma (with Danney Goble, University of Oklahoma Press, 1994 and 2007). His most recent book is a history of Pepperdine University, entitled Quest for Distinction: Pepperdine University in the 20th Century (Pepperdine University Press, 2016).

Dr. Baird began working on Quest for Distinction after he was asked by Pepperdine President Dr. Andrew K. Benton to write the seventy-fifth anniversary history of Pepperdine University. Research for the book started in 2009, and it was published in 2016.

W. David Baird passed away on November 15, 2024. Baird is survived by his wife, Brenda “Jane” Baird; his daughter, Angela Baird Cheves ('92, MA ’93); his son, William “Tony” Baird (’94, JD ’97); and six grandchildren.