36. She Had to Quit School And Live On the Streets
Growing up in such conditions, the young girl’s schooling was spotty, and her education was put on the back burner. Eventually, Baker was forced to drop out of school altogether at age 12, having progressed only to fifth grade. For a while, she lived as a street kid in St. Louis’ slums, sleeping in cardboard boxes, scavenging food from trash cans, and earning a bit of money every now and then by dancing on street corners. Things stabilized a bit when she got a job, at age 13, as a full time waitress. While waiting tables, she met and married a man named Willie Wells, but things quickly soured between the duo, and she got a divorce.