Professor Lesley Ann Thornborrow Baker died unexpectedly in New Orleans at age 69. Baker was a professor in the Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business for more than 20 years.

Baker was born on Jan. 12, 1945 in Oadby Leicestershire, England. Baker spent her childhood in Brainerd, Minn. and holds a PhD in 18th Century Literature from Tulane. She has been a resident of New Orleans since 1973.

Baker was one of the professors who taught the Burkenroad Reports class. In Burkenroad Reports, business school seniors and graduate students are divided into teams and write reports on an assigned public company. Baker taught the writing aspect of the course and served as its editor.

Senior Tom Stern was one of Baker’s students in the Burkenroad Reports class during the fall 2013 semester. Stern said he worked closely with Baker when he was in the class.

“My experience [with Baker] was great,” Stern said. “She was definitely a tough professor and very attentive to detail. She would listen to [student’s] input and rethink the comments she made, which says something about her character. She listened. She was always the kindest person. A lot of the Burkenroad committee really loved her. She was a phenomenal teacher, and will be deeply missed.”

Peter Ricchiuti, another professor who teaches the Burkenroad Reports class, said that Baker worked with more than 2,000 students in her time teaching the course.

“She is a big reason that our reports have been so well received,” Ricchiuti said. “She had a great sense of humor and was a joy to work with every day.”