raw · articles · ingested 2024-01-01
Stephen C. Baer '60 — Amherst College In Memory (2024)
Source: Steve Baer / Zomeworks archive
Written by Jose Baer and Dick Weisfelder ‘60
Source URL: https://www.amherst.edu/news/magazine/in_memory/1960/stephenbaer
Deceased: May 17, 2024
Stephen Baer, an architect and inventor known for his work in geometry, sustainable design and solar energy, died May 17, 2024.
Jose Baer’s description of his father
His son, Jose Baer, described Steve as “a self-taught expert in architecture, engineering and mathematics, a pioneer in passive solar technologies and an inventor of widely used products. His experimental designs pushed the boundaries of conventional architecture.”
Jose considered “the 31-zone truss” as “possibly his father’s most significant work. This geometric structural system was developed into a modeling kit sold as the Zometool, which scientists use today to illustrate work in quasicrystals and symmetry.”
Steve Baer’s own words (50th reunion, c.2010)
Although “my term paper for English 1 was published in the Amherst Literary magazine, I ran away from Amherst in 1957. Then: a job in an aircraft company, some semesters at UCLA, a return for a whole year at Amherst, summer work in the oil fields at Bakersfield, conflict at Amherst, departure, U.S. Army in Germany and marriage to Holly.”
“Since 1969, Steve ran Zomeworks Corporation, a small manufacturing company that makes products that operate without electricity: racks that turn to follow the sun and cabinets that cool batteries and electronics by radiating heat to the night sky. Holly and I still live in the cluster of domes, built years ago.”
Key facts from Baer’s own reunion text:
- Left Amherst in 1957
- Job at an aircraft company
- Some semesters at UCLA
- Returned for a full year at Amherst
- Summer oil field work, Bakersfield, CA
- “Conflict at Amherst, departure”
- US Army in Germany; married Holly there
- Zomeworks founded 1969
Additional facts
- Co-founder: The New Mexico Solar Energy Association
- 2010: Global Award for Sustainable Architecture
- Patents: osmotic heat pipe for zero-gravity environments; cool cells for passive temperature regulation
- Products described in Baer’s own words: “racks that turn to follow the sun” (Sunbender/Skylid type); “cabinets that cool batteries and electronics by radiating heat to the night sky” (telephone company battery cabinets)
Publications (from memorial)
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Dome Cookbook | 1968 |
| Zome Primer | 1970 |
| Sunspots: Collected Facts and Solar Fiction | 1977 |
| More Sunspots | 2012 |
Family (from memorial)
Survived by wife Holly; son Jose; grandchildren Isaac, Sophia, Tess, and Hannah.
Note: The Corrales Comment obituary named “son Steve” — this Amherst memorial, written by Jose himself, confirms the son’s name is Jose. The Corrales Comment likely contains an error.
Source: Amherst College In Memory, written by Jose Baer and Dick Weisfelder ‘60. Fetched from web. URL: https://www.amherst.edu/news/magazine/in_memory/1960/stephenbaer