The people of Baker City knew him as a successful businessman and his home town’s most active booster. But few realized just how successful “Mr. Baker” had been. This is a story of ambition and achievement and one ordinary man’s relationship with the small town he loved. Leo was a successful Baker City businessman, whose 98-year lifetime spanned the 20th century. He was born there, near the Idaho border and far from most other places in Oregon. Leo Adler left an astonishing financial legacy to the people of his community. Initially endowed with his gift of $22 million, the Leo Adler Foundation annually administers generous tuition grants to hundreds of young people. His appreciation for his hometown will enhance education, social services and community-building for many, many decades to come.