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Foundation Outdoor Group officials, family and friends were in attendance for the dedication of the Curt Baker Memorial Education Center at the company’s Florida, USA headquarters.

The close-knit rod building community was stunned when Curt passed away on Christmas Day after a brief illness. Appropriately, the dedication took place during the Mud Hole Advanced Rod Building Techniques Seminar, a three-day gathering of hands-on, professional-level rod building instruction sessions, to which Curt was always an instrumental contributor.

“Not only was Curt a master rod builder and veteran rod building instructor for Mud Hole’s rod building classes, Curt was family,” said Brook Oliva, Foundation Outdoor Group’s president and COO. “Dedicating our Education Center to Curt was the least we could do to memorialise our admiration and friendship, and his tremendous contributions to the rod building community. Curt was a personal friend for over 20 years and I will miss him dearly.”

The Curt Baker Memorial Education Center is a state-of-the-art, 5,000 sq ft seminar space built specifically for rod building instruction. It is also used to host banquets and various angling and community organizations in need of the appropriate space to support events and their membership.

Annually, the facility hosts thousands of attendees, with a regular schedule of rod building instruction classes supporting eager students from around the country and the world.

“Curt was a dear friend and a pillar of the rod building community,” Mud Hole and rod building legend Bob McKamey added. “It was truly an honour for me to make this dedication on behalf of Mud Hole and Foundation Outdoor Group. Having Curt’s wife Bonnie and his family members in attendance truly made this a very personal and special day.”

Beyond renaming the facility, the dedication introduced a permanent display honouring Mr. Baker, including some of Curt’s personal custom rods, candid photos and a memorial plaque.

Curt’s impact on the rod-building community is immeasurable and his legacy within the industry will endure for generations, the company added.