Giving back to the community, even after his time has passed.

The late Howard Baker’s antique automobile collection will be sold in auction to benefit the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy per the former senator’s instructions. In addition to his antique cars, former Senator Baker leaves behind a legacy of success and pride from his work in the U.S. government.

Serving as both White House chief of staff to Ronald Reagan and later ambassador to Japan, Baker was a member of the Senate Committee in the midst of the Watergate scandal and is best remembered for his now historic question, “What did the president know and when did he know it?”

Matthew Murray, professor of economics and director of the Baker Center remarked on Baker’s “wonderful wit and sense of humor,” and commented on the privilege he felt working with a politician he’d watched on TV as a child.

“To have the opportunity to work with him … It’s not an opportunity most people get,” Murray said. “My opportunity to work with folks who have been in significant positions of power and influence has really been a wonderful experience.”

For Murray, Baker’s final gesture of generosity to the Baker Center illustrates the man’s dedication to the university and those he worked with.

“Anyone who over the course of their life loved something and collected things … to then decide to dispose of them in this particular fashion, I don’t really know what words to put around it,” Murray said. “I really think it was a sign that he cherished the Baker Center and wanted to see the Baker Center succeed, so much so that he was willing to give his prized collection of automobiles.”

The executive committee of the Baker Center Board is currently watching over the collection, which includes classic American cars spanning four generations. Murray is part of this team, working with his fellow board members to appraise the automobiles and find a suitable auctioning outlet.

“We’re just looking at those alternatives and trying to figure out the best path down which to proceed,” Murray said.

While Murray said he was hesitant to give a precise value for the collection, he estimated it could range anywhere from $300,000 to $700,000 in value, depending on the eagerness of the bidders.

“These cars are very unique,” Murray explained. “All it would take would be a couple of dueling bidders to drive up the value.”

All the funds garnered from the auction will go the benefit the Howard H. Baker Center, but no precise plan on how the money will be utilized has yet been developed.

Janice Williams, president of the East Tennessee Region Antique Automobile Club of America, had the chance to view the former senator’s collection while Baker was still alive.

“My personal favorite is the Studebaker,” Williams said of the collection, commenting that she herself grew up with a car from the now defunct auto industry.

“To me, the Studebaker company was always ‘ahead of its time’ in style.”