Exhibit 99.1

                             BAKER BOARD MEMBER DIES

PITTSBURGH (7/21/06) -

         Michael Baker Corporation (Amex:BKR) is saddened to announce the death
of Board member, Thomas D. Larson, on July 20.

         Larson, 77, an independent director and chairman of the Health, Safety
and Environment Committee, had been a member of Baker's Board since 1993.

         "I knew Tom Larson personally and professionally for nearly 30 years,"
Richard L. Shaw, chairman of the Board, said. "He was a dear friend, a
consummate professional, and a dedicated public servant at Penn State, with the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and in the Federal government. He was a member of
Baker's Board of Directors for 13 years and helped steer the direction of the
company with his sharp intellect and insatiable appetite for knowledge. We will
miss his quick wit, sage advice and ever-present guiding hand. Our thoughts and
prayers are with his wife, Esther, and his family during this difficult time."

         Michael Baker Corporation (http://www.mbakercorp.com) provides
engineering and operations and maintenance services for its clients' most
complex challenges worldwide. The firm's primary practice areas are aviation,
environmental, facilities, geospatial information technologies, pipelines &
telecommunications, transportation, water/wastewater, and oil & gas. With more
than 5,000 employees in over 40 offices across the United States and
internationally, Baker is focused on providing services that span the complete
life cycle of infrastructure and managed asset projects.


                                     # # # #
CONTACT:
David Higie

E-MAIL:
dhigie@mbakercorp.com