local DID YOU KNOW?
David E. Bailey, Jr., Educator – and A School is Named in His Honor S u b m i t t e d by p l a n t c i t y ph o to a rch i v e s
In 2009, and after much consideration, suggestions, and thought, the Hillsborough School District named its newest elementary school after a man who spent most of his life as an educator – David E. Bailey. In August 2009, those who know him or know of him were proud to see the doors open at David E. Bailey Elementary School on Gallagher Road in Dover. Here is a brief story about David Elmer Bailey, the man and the educator. David E. Bailey, Jr. was born in Shady Grove, Taylor County, Florida in August 1917 to David Elmer Bailey, Sr., and Priscilla Browning Bailey. David Bailey, Sr. was from Taylor County and Priscilla Browning was from Lithia, Hillsborough County, not far from Plant City. Mr. Bailey worked in a country store and later owned and operated his own general store. Mrs. Bailey was trained as a teacher and for a while ran a shop where local women could make their own clothing. The family moved to Plant City in 1923; Mrs. Bailey and the young David had become ill because of the malaria epidemic. Mr. Bailey opened and operated a dry goods store, Bailey’s Cash Store, but had to close when the Great Depression set in. Mrs. Bailey went back to teaching, and the young David and his brother, Alda Merrill Bailey, attended the Strawberry Schools, (so called because they ran on a May through December schedule to allow for families to work the strawberry fields), or regular schools following their mother’s teaching positions. David E. Bailey, Jr. was early on known as “D.E.”. After attending Dover Junior High, he attended the 1914 Plant City High School, excelling in Latin, English, and History, and graduated in 1934. Opting for a smaller school than the University of Florida, D.E. worked on local farms and in a department store for a year then entered Florida Southern College, in Lakeland, Florida. He worked in the college maintenance department and waited tables to pay for school. Even with this schedule he found time to work on the college newspaper, the Drama club, the Student Senate, and participated in the Lambda Chi Alpha
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Fraternity. He received his teaching certificate, a Licentiate in Instruction, in 1937. He continued with night classes and summers and received his Bachelor’s degree in 1939. After teaching in 5th and 6th grades in a small school near Tampa (Gillete), D.E. received a teaching position at Plant City High School and taught English, History, and Speech. He also sponsored the school newspaper, and directed the Drama Club. During this time, D.E became popular and respected by the school administrators, faculty, and students. He also met Eloise DuBois, whom he knew from high school and who was now teaching in a nearby school. They were married in August 1940. In March 1941, D.E. Bailey was the first married man from Plant City to be drafted into the U.S Army. His brother, Alda, withdrew from college to join him, and both served in the U.S. Army. D.E. served in the South Pacific, (New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines), and returned home in 1945. His son, David Merrill Bailey, was fourteen months old before D.E. first saw him. D.E. returned to Plant City High School in 1945 and resumed teaching English, History, Journalism, and Speech. He was appointed principal at Knights Elementary School, just north of Plant City, then Stonewall Jackson Elementary School, and from 1957 until he retired in 1977 he was principal at William Jennings Bryan Elementary School, in Plant City. He also took the opportunity to return to school, the University of Florida, receiving his master’s degree in elementary and secondary school administration, with minors in History, and other social studies disciplines. For his Master’s Degree thesis he wrote “A Study of Hillsborough County History, Legend, and Folklore with Implications for the Curriculum.” Active in the community, education, and civic affairs, D.E. also taught a bible class at the First Baptist Church of Plant City for 48 years. He belonged to the Arts Council of Plant City, the Community Theatre, Plant City Lions Club, and later the Kiwanis Club, was the Chairman of the Board
of the Hillsborough Education Association, and was active in the Hillsborough Council of Elementary School Principals. He also served on the Executive Board of the Florida Department of Elementary Schools, on the Florida Education Council, on the State Mission Board of the Florida Baptist Convention, and on the Florida Baptist Historical Society. D.E. wrote a brief history of Plant City, which was published in a special edition of The Plant City Courier. He later teamed with Quintilla Geer Bruton, who was married to Judge James Bruton and who was active in the Plant City Woman’s Club and was instrumental in establishing the public library in Plant City, and the two of them wrote Plant City; Its Origin and History in 1977, and published an
updated edition of the book in 1985 in conjunction with the celebration of the city’s Centennial Anniversary. D.E. Bailey is a charter board member of the East Hillsborough Historical Society, a member of the Tampa Bay Historical Society, the Florida Historical Society, and serves on the Advisory Council of Plant City Photo Archives. He has received the Outstanding Citizen of the Year award from the city’s civic clubs in 1978, and, in 1993, was awarded Florida Southern College’s alumni award for Distinguished Service to Humanity. The Plant City Photo Archives presented D.E. Bailey the Heritage Award in 2004 for his outstanding contribution to the preservation of the history and heritage of the greater Plant City community.