The Superior Express -

A tradition from past years returns for this year's Lady Vestey Victorian Festival, the presentation of the Gracious Lady Award. This year's recipient is Leirion Gaylor Baird, the wife of a Superior native, Scott Baird. She is currently serving as the 52nd mayor of Lincoln, Neb. A position she has held since May of 2019. The mayor previously served six years on both the Lincoln City Council and Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission.

She is the current chair of the Mayors and Metro Universities Task Force of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and an active participant in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. She is an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership and member of the NewDEAL, a national network of pro-growth state and local elected leaders. Her career includes experience as a management consultant, fiscal and policy analyst, and Boys and Girls Club director. She currently serves on the Lincoln Community Foundation board and Mourning Hope board of trustees.

Mayor Gaylor Baird earned her bachelor's of arts degree in history from Yale College and holds a master's degree in comparative social research from the University of Oxford. She and her husband, Scott, and their three

children enjoy eating ice cream from Ivanna Cone, playing the New York Times Spelling Bee game, and watching The Voice.

The mayor's husband, Scott, and his siblings, Todd and Libby, grew up in Superior where his father, Sam, was the president of the Farmers State Bank and his mother, Joyce, owned and operated Superior Tour and Travel.

Scott graduated from Superior High School in 1989 before heading off to college where he met his future wife.

Growing up in Superior, Scott would regularly walk from North Ward to the home of his grandparents, Minor and Eloise Baird, after attending school at North Ward. He would sled with friends in the winter on the big hill behind the Catholic church.

Scott's father, Sam, was on the board of the First Presbyterian Church and the Brodstone Memorial Hospital. After leaving Superior, Sam served as state banking commissioner.

Scott's great-grandfather, Percival, and grandfather, Minor, also served as president of the Farmers State Bank. The bank is now part of the Central National Bank group.

Scott and Leirion have enjoyed seeing Superior friends in Lincoln during the state volleyball and basketball games over the past few years.