At Peru State College, on Tuesday morning, April 25, 1950, Professor Barney K Baker shot to death the college president, Dr William L Nicholas, and the head of the education division, Dr Paul Ammon Maxwell. He then went home and killed himself. The tragedy followed Dr Baker's being notified of his future dismissal from the college. This article investigates the circumstances surrounding his dismissal.

The episode is from Nancy Handy Moran's 1988 Nebraska History Magazine article, "Tragedy at Peru State College: The Murders of William Nicholas and Paul Maxwell."