Oldest gold medalist, former Iowa prep standout, dies

The oldest living Olympic gold medalist and brother of a legendary Mason City puppeteer has died. George Baird graduated from Mason City High School in 1925 after captaining the track team and winning the state title in the quarter mile. He then went on to run track at the University of Iowa and helped set a world record in the 16-hundred meter men’s relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. After college, George then worked for several years with his brother, the world famous puppeteer Bil Baird. George Baird later earned a Master’s degree in 1964 and went on to become an assistant professor of education at New York University, where he worked until his retirement. Baird died Saturday at his home in Rhinebeck New York at the age of 97.