A fly finds a home — now its book needs one! Help 89-year-old Jan Baron bring her story to life.

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-Chief

Published December 17, 2024

When Jan Baron called to say she wanted to talk about a children’s book she had written, I jumped at the chance. I don’t know how long I’ve known Jan, probably 15 years or so, but it was when she was chosen as a Jewish Light Unsung Hero in 2013 that I really got to know her. Being able to catch up and learn about her book over cups of coffee seemed like a pretty good way to start a day.

At 89, Jan still manages to capture a room with her smile, strikingly coiffed white hair and knowing twinkle in her eyes. Widowed at 30 with two young daughters ages 4 and 7, she eventually married widower Richard Baron, who had two sons. They each adopted the other’s children, nicknaming themselves “The Baron Bunch,” and were married for 51 years before Richard died in 2019.

These days Jan has a new partner, another Richard, though he prefers his nickname, Dick. He’s a retired physician who knew Jan from childhood; they both lived in Clayton’s DeMun neighborhood.

Jan still works two days a week at the Adult Day Center at the Jewish Community Center. She has worked for many nonprofits over the years, including several Jewish ones, among them as director of Congregation B’nai Amoona’s early childhood center. In addition, Jan taught Sunday School for more than six decades, at United Hebrew, B’nai El (which merged with Shaare Emeth in 2016) and B’nai Amoona, from where she only recently retired.

Teaching children is Jan’s passion. She dedicated her book, “The Fly on the Wall,” not only to her five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, but also the children “that I have had the honor and privilege of having in my classroom over the years.”

“The Fly on the Wall” tells the story of a fly who isn’t interested in spying but rather knowing what’s happening in the home where it has taken up residence. As Rabbi Josef A. Davidson, who wrote the book’s preface, notes, this fly “cares for all the members of the family, rejoices in their growth, in their interactions, in the love that fills the house and transforms it into a home . . . the fly is a source of encouragement, promising to be right there on the wall — always.”

The book is illustrated by Paul Burkhardt with colorful details that add another dimension to the story. Each page shows the fly in a different spot on the wall. Little kids, to which the book is geared, will likely enjoy locating it on the pages.

Jan explained that while the book had been in her head for years, she wanted to make sure to write it so that the fly represented more than just being a fly on the wall.

“(The fly) represents God looking over you, your parents looking over you, it could be your grandparents looking over you, or teachers. It’s all the things they can do to make you realize that doing the right thing matters. There is something or somebody caring about you and making sure you’re doing the right thing,” she said. “I want children to think about what this fly represents. Whether spiritual or personal, I wanted this book to be more than a few pages about a fly.”

Jan also wants the book to be published and is looking for help to that end. With this being the holidays, and Jan being Jan, I offered to put this story out there. If anyone knows of a children’s book publisher or can help Jan, feel free to reach out to her at [email protected].

About the Contributor

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-Chief

A native of Westbury, New York, Ellen Futterman broke into the world of big city journalism as a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner in the latter part of the 20th century. Deciding that Tinsel Town was not exciting enough for her, she moved on to that hub of glamour and sophistication, Belleville, Ill., where she became a feature writer, columnist and food editor for the Belleville News-Democrat. A year later the St. Louis Post-Dispatch scooped her up, neither guessing at the full range of her talents, nor the extent of her shoe collection. She went on to work at the Post-Dispatch for 25 years, during which time she covered hard news, education, features, investigative projects, profiles, sports, entertainment, fashion, interiors, business, travel and movies. She won numerous major local and national awards for her reporting on "Women Who Kill" and on a four-part series about teen-age pregnancy, 'Children Having Children.'" Among her many jobs at the newspaper, Ellen was a columnist for three years, Arts and Entertainment Editor, Critic-at-large and Daily Features (Everyday) Editor. She invented two sections from scratch, one of which recently morphed from Get Out, begun in 1995, to GO. In January of 2009, Ellen joined the St. Louis Jewish Light as its editor, where she is responsible for overseeing editorial operations, including managing both staff members and freelancers. Under her tutelage, the Light has won 16 Rockower Awards — considered the Jewish Pulitzer’s — including two personally for Excellence in Commentary for her weekly News & Schmooze column. She also is the communications content editor for the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis. Ellen and her husband, Jeff Burkett, a middle school principal, live in Olivette and have three children. Ellen can be reached at 314-743-3669 or at [email protected].