David Bailey and his wife, Julie, believe one of the best ways to honor those who have worked to achieve their dreams is by helping others achieve dreams of their own.
The Baileys most recently made a $25,000 gift to the University of Mississippi’s Patterson School of Accountancy in honor of David’s father. Previously, Julie Bailey established a foundation scholarship in honor of her late mother, Jewel R. Hagan, at the University of Texas School of Nursing. And in 2014, the Baileys encouraged David’s cousins, Ole Miss alumni Kerry and Terri King, to establish a foundation scholarship at the UM Department of Geology and Geological Engineering in honor of their son, Charlie (a graduate student in the department), after his untimely death.
“My father, David R. Bailey, never had the opportunity to attend college, but he was inspirational in his work ethic – he held at least two jobs – and taught me that the most important goal is to do the best at everything you endeavor to accomplish,” said David Bailey, a 1981 UM accountancy graduate who lives in Dallas, Texas.
“He was truly a renaissance man, a self-taught musician, a mechanic and a church deacon I have a 1959 Harley Davidson motorcycle that he built from 200 pieces, in honor of my birth year. He died much too early, at age 72, from cancer. It is his life and accomplishments that we wish to honor with this gift.”
The Baileys’ gift establishes the David R. Bailey Sr. Memorial Scholarship Endowment in Accountancy.
“Our hope is that this gift will help someone’s dreams and aspirations come true,” David Bailey said. “I had to work full-time during college, living with my wonderful grandparents in Oxford for the first two years.
“Professor H.E. ‘Gene’ Peery, along with all my accounting professors, were always eager to encourage me to earn my degree and become a CPA. I hope this gift will similarly give encouragement and help to an accounting student who can benefit from an Ole Miss accountancy degree as I and my family have.”
The accountancy school is humbled by the Baileys’ generosity, said Mark Wilder, the school’s dean.
“It is a beautiful tribute to honor the memory and accomplishments of David Bailey Sr. while also helping students succeed in college and beyond.” Wilder said. “We are grateful for the Baileys’ gift – and humbled when we consider that the lives of countless generations of students in the School of Accountancy will be improved because of this wonderful scholarship.”
Individuals and organizations can make gifts to support the Patterson School of Accountancy by mailing a check with the endowment noted to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655; visiting http://www.umfoundation.com/makeagift/ or contacting Brooke Barnes, director of development, at 662-915-1993 or brooke@olemiss.edu.
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