Cara Baker

by Joanna McFarland


Carrie and I were sorority sisters at UVA and became great friends when we started in the Commerce School together. Lucky for me, we were assigned to the same "block" our first semester in the Comm School which meant we would have all of our classes together. I remember sitting next to Carrie in a class that first day in the Comm School and starting to panic at the workload we had coming our way. Carrie had the same stressed out look I did but also was so positive and full of energy, I knew I needed to stay by her side. We quickly began studying and doing all of our projects together and made it through that first semester. After that semester ended, we made a point to get into as many of each others classes as possible for our remaining semesters at UVA. It was during those last two years at UVA that my wonderful memories of Carrie began. Whether it was studying until the wee hours of the morning or partying at a mixer or on the corner, it was always much more fun with Carrie around. 

One of my fondest memories of Carrie during our time at UVA was our last week there. We were done with classes and exams and trying to savor our final days as college students. We realized we had not done several of the "bucket list" things that you are supposed to do before you graduate from UVA. In true Carrie spirit, we decided to do all of them in one night and ended up having one of the best nights of my college career. We started the night doing the "corner crawl", then braved it and streaked the lawn, and ended the night eating a gus burger at the White Spot. It seems so simple now, but every time I walk the lawn at UVA, I think of that night and how much fun we had. 

After college, Carrie moved the farthest away of our friends when she went to Dallas. 
Even though most of us ended up on the East Coast, Carrie never seemed to miss an opportunity to come visit. Whether it was making a trip back for a UVA football game or Foxfield, or going to a wedding shower, bachelorette party or wedding, or just to visit for a girls weekend, Carrie was there. Nowhere was ever too far for her to travel to see her friends. And when she did show up, she was always the life of the party with that amazing smile on her face. When she was lucky enough to meet Dale, they traveled together to see all of us and we instantly fell in love with him too.  I'm not sure you could ever feel down with the two of them around! 

I will always cherish my memories of Carrie starting at UVA and all the years after. I feel honored to have been her friend for close to 20 years. Her strength, determination and wonderful spirit that shone through up until the very end are something I will always try to emulate in my life. She was a wonderful friend and will always be in my thoughts and prayers. I can only hope she is enjoying a beautiful beach in the sky and smiling down on all of us.