Joy Dirksen Baker's Wedding Dress
Danice Joy Dirksen Baker, daughter of Everett and Louella Dirksen, married Howard Henry Baker Jr. on December 22, 1951. She wore a Marshall Fields original wedding gown with matching kidskin gloves. Although overshadowed by her husband's illustrious political career, Joy Baker served on influential committees for Knoxville College, the Kennedy Center or Performing Arts, and Ford's Theater, receiving a Lincoln Medal in 1985 for her work at Ford's Theater. She died on April 24, 1993 and was buried in the Mossop Cemetery adjacent from the First Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, TN.
Artifact of the Week: Wedding Dress