Jay Baldwin Jay Baldwin joined the SIU design department staff as a visiting lecturer for the 1968-69 school year. Jay had met Buckminster Fuller while studying at the University of Michigan in the 1950s. Later he did graduate work at the University of California. Jay also served three years in the Army ski infantry. Baldwin is known as one of the developers of the "Pop Tent," as an editor of the Whole Earth Catalog (WEC), developer of the "Pillow Dome," and for his more recent work in ecological design. Jay was only at Southern for one year but as one of his student’s said, "He was there for an eternity during that year.” He had a strong influence on the students he taught. “He would teach me ‘magic tricks’ which I still use to demonstrate design principles,” said Joe Eddy Brown, “we have continued exchanging letters and emails for 40 years.” He was also ‘living the dream’ a nomad (free spirit) in an Air Stream that could stick his nose into situations as it pleased him. He was interesting, animated, and alive. He had worked in design, fully embraced the Fuller message and integrated the two. It seemed like he was always up to something, and so was inspirational.

Joe Eddy Brown (black T-shirt) helping Jay Baldwin disassemble Bucky’s Dymaxion house in Wichita, Kansas (Graham family) for shipment to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan (1992).

Joe Eddy Brown Photo

A quick sketch by Jay Baldwin showing how to draw and shade.