A memorial service for former U.S. Sen. James B. Pearson will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the First United Methodist Church in Baldwin City, 704 Eighth St. 

Pearson, who served as a member of the Baker University Board of Trustees, died Jan. 13. He was 88 years old.

Pearson lived in Baldwin City part time after his retirement from his position in the Senate.

He served as a Navy transport pilot in World War II and later as a Kansas Senator and Republican State Chairman.

Pearson was appointed by Kansas Gov. John Anderson to fill the vacant seat left by the death of Sen. Andrew Schoeppel in January 1962.

In the primary election of 1962, Pearson defeated former Republican Gov. Ed Arn and then won the general election.

Pearson went on to win two full six-year terms before retiring from the Senate in 1979.

Baker University President Emeritus Daniel M. Lambert said Pearson was always helping the university fulfill its mission in some way, as well as assisting students with internships and scholarships.

“He was always interested in higher education,” Lambert said. “He awwlways had a special interest in Baker students.”

Lambert said he became good friends with Pearson during his presidency, which began in 1987 and lasted 19 years.

Scheduled to speak at the service are Lambert, former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, who succeeded Pearson in the Senate, James B. Pearson Jr. and David Seaton, Pearson's former press secretary.<br/>