Tyrone W. Terry Baker was born and raised in west-central North Dakota. His parents and family lived in a small town near the Missouri River and later bought a ranch in the area known as the Prophet Mountains. His military service included three years in the U.S. Army Military Police stationed at Killeen Base, Texas. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Cold War Recognition Certificate, and several shooting awards. Terry has an Associate of Arts Degree from Abilene Christian University at Dallas with a major in criminal justice. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Quantico, Virginia. He holds the Texas Master Peace Officer Certificate. For three years, 1981-1983, he served as captain and commander of the Old Jail at Main and Houston Streets in downtown Dallas. The last five Dallas County hangings from 1918-10029 were held in this jail. After he retired the author began researching cases of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty to get their names engraved on the memorial walls in Washington, D.C, and Austin, Texas. He was able to research, verify, and get approval for 246 officers' names to be placed on the memorial walls. Many of the cases were from the 1850s through the early 1900s. Some of his awards included: Deputy of the Year, Captain Bob Kennedy Memorial Award, Silver Spur Award, Sheriffs' Association of Texas Lost Lawman Award, FBI Director's Community Leadership Award, Sheriff's Commendation Bar and Sheriff's Certificate of Merit.
