BAILEY, Clyde E.
BAILEY, BENTLEY, DUNCAN, PARKER, ROUTH, ROOD, WIRTH, SICKELS, SANDEMAN, REDMAN, SHIRK
Posted By: Tony Mercer (email)
Date: 11/28/2021 at 08:08:34
At the young age of 94 ½ years, Clyde E. BAILEY passed away Thursday, May 21st, 2009 at the Clearview Home in Mt. Ayr, IA. Born east of Clearfield, IA, on the family farm November 10, 1914, Clyde was the youngest of John W. and Bessie P. (BENTLEY) BAILEY's five children. Lots of fun and hard work would describe Clyde's boyhood days in the Iowa corn country, on Platte River between Clearfield and Diagonal in Ringgold County. Among his favorite pastimes, besides hunting, fishing and sports, was swimming in which he excelled. His love for the English language and words enabled him to become an Iowa State Spelling Bee Champion.
Following his graduation from Clearfield High School in 1932, he entered Maryville State Teacher's College, Maryville, MO, where he acquired a teaching certificate. Clyde's first teaching position was at Grant Center Country School in Ringgold County, 2 ½ miles from Clyde’s family home. Shortly after starting there, he was recruited by Superintendent Jim DUNCAN, the "voice of the Drake Relays", who also grew up in Clearfield, to teach and coach at Minburn Iowa Public Schools where he not only taught in the academic areas, but also coached girl's basketball. Following his girls’ final tournament basketball game in 1942, his loyal players walked him to the train where he departed for the military service and World War II. During the war years, Clyde served as one of the team of meteorologists stationed in England during World War II and participated in the forecasting of the weather for the D-Day Invasion of Normandy.
Upon his discharge from service, he entered the University of Iowa at Iowa City, Iowa, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1947. Galesburg, Illinois, Churchill Junior High was fortunate to recruit his services upon his graduation. In the fall of 1952, Clyde accepted a teaching position at Creston High School in Creston, Iowa, where he established the first Distributive Education Cooperative Training Program (now known as DECA, an association of marketing students) for that school. In the summer of 1955, Clyde interned as a teacher coordinator, under the direction of Dr. Ralph Mason, then chairman of the Business Education Department at the University of Illinois. That fall, he accepted a position at Blue Island Community High School District 218, Blue Island, IL, where he established the first DECA Training Program for that district. This program grew and flourished under Mr. BAILEY's guidance and direction for 21 years. During that period he and his students received many honors and distinctions not only at the local level, but at the state and national level as well. In the spring of 1974, Clyde was named DECA Man-of-the-Year at the annual Illinois State Leadership Conference. The longest serving coordinator in Illinois at that time, Clyde became known as "Mr. D.E." or the "Old Master." He was a true pioneer in his field during these years, Clyde continued to pursue higher levels of education and received his Master of Science Degree from Indiana State University.
Clyde was a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 11530. He was very active for many years in the "100 Point" Chapter of Mt. Ayr, Ducks Unlimited Conservation Organization, receiving many awards from Iowa DU for outstanding achievement and contribution. Shortly after retiring from teaching in 1976, Clyde moved to Tucson, AZ. There he joined the Cat Mountain Coyotes, a Senior Olympics group based primarily in Tucson Estates. In Senior Olympic competition, he amassed 87 medals before failing health forced him to give up his participation. Some of Mr. BAILEY's professional activities and memberships were: Illinois Cooperative Business Education Coordinators' Association-President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Chairman of the State Advisory Committee to the Chief Business and Distributive Education, State Board of Vocational Education (Illinois), First chairman-one of founders of the Chicago Suburban Coordinator Foundation for Distributive Education, Illinois Representative to the U.S. Office of Education Regional V Planning Committee for Distributive Education. Charter Member of Delta Pi Eplison, a National Honorary Fraternity, Indiana State University, Illinois DECA and Illinois Foundation for Marketing Education bestowed the honor on Mr. BAILEY for having contributed the most to this education discipline in the State of Illinois for the last 50 years of the 20th century. Clyde truly loved and enjoyed his Bailey and Bentley heritage on Platte River east of Clearfield. He loved visiting and telling stories about family members, relatives and neighbors, and what they endured and accomplished d uring their lives. Hunting, fishing and swimming on Platte River and the surrounding area and the BAILEY Reunions at Bible Camp were quite a joy for Clyde to relive and pass on to family and friends.
Clyde never knew a stranger, was quite a gentleman and conversationalist, and loved to converse with younger people.
Clyde never married and had children of his own. His Dad and Mom, Johnny and Bessie, his brothers Archie and Gilbert, sisters Sue and Ruth, brother and sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews and all their families as well as uncles, aunts and cousins were the center of much of Clyde’s pride and joy.
Preceding Clyde in death were his parents, Johnny & Bessie, brothers Archie & his wives Blanche & Lavina, Gilbert & his wife Loretta, sisters Sue ROUTH & husband Addis, Ruth Rood & husband Harry. Of these families, Jack BAILEY, Gordon PARKER, Mick ROUTH, Richard ROUTH, Betty Sue ROUTH, Dorothy ROUTH, and Mary ROOD also preceded Clyde in death.
He will be dearly remembered by his adopted family, Wallace and Jane WIRTH of Georgetown, TX and his two Godsons, Charles (Ted) WIRTH of Fenton, MI and Todd WIRTH of Atlanta, GA.
Also left to cherish his memory are Norma SICKELS, Bessie PARKER, John SICKELS, JB ROUTH, Martha ROUTH, Ronnie & Bonnie ROUTH, Mildred ROUTH, Bernard & Marilyn ROUTH, Gwennie & Spencer SANDEMAN, Bill & Anna ROUTH, Bev & Gene REDMAN, Jack & Marilyn BAILEY, Larry ROOD, Linda & Ron SHIRK, numerous great, great-great and great-great-great nieces and nephews, cousins, duck hunting & fishing buddies, former students & educational peers and a host of friends.
Services were held Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 10:30 AM, Watson - Armstrong Funeral Home, 205 W. Monroe Street, Mt. Ayr, IA 50854. Memorials are to the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Burial, with military rites conducted by Woodside Post #97 of Clearfield, is in the Clearfield Cemetery.
Ringgold Obituaries maintained by Tony Mercer.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen