99 Years Ago Today

On this day in 1911 a great man was born. When I came to know him, he was a man of few words but great wisdom. He had a sweet smile that lit up my world. His twinkling blue eyes radiated the love he felt for others but didn’t often put into words.

In his younger days Dee drove a Model T. It wasn’t as easy as turning a key (or pushing a button) to start the car. There was a crank on the front and I remember him telling me that you had to hand crank it, and there was a trick to it. It was best to cup the crank in your palm because if you put your thumb under the handle and it ‘kicked back’ it might break your thumb. Once cranked, he’d run to jump in, especially if it was on an incline. How times have changed.

When I think of all the life he experienced, it humbles me. How can I complain when the house is too hot in the summer realizing that the house he grew up in was cooled only by soft summer breezes and some not so cool? And for years he drove a car that had no air conditioning, radio, even windows.

I remember one story that he told about his younger days. He and his brothers, Henry and Kin, were riding down a dirt road in that Model T. They’d found a pig on the side of the road and picked it up. They came to a check point and, worried they’d get trouble with the law, Kin quickly threw one of their suit coats and a hat on the pig. The officer came over to the car and asked each of them their names. The Bailey boys complied and, from the back seat, the pig squealed. As he walked off, dad overheard the officer tell his partner. “I’ve seen some interesting characters in my time but that Oink Bailey is the ugliest son-of-a-gun I’ve ever seen!” I never knew if that was a true story or very much embellished. Guess I never will. But it brought a smile to a lot of people and it gave Dee great pleasure in telling it.

June 11, 1911. I often wonder what that day was like when that baby boy came into the world. That boy that grew up to be a man who cared about others more than himself. Now, I don’t know what he was really like in his younger years, but I do know what he was like later in life. And I do know that he loved and cared for his family.

Thinking back to Dee’s funeral is almost a blur, but there are a few moments that, after these 14 years, still stand out to me. The pastor of his church and a former pastor spoke and spoke well of him. In both cases, they mentioned that they had been—many times over—the recipients of his generosity. He was famous for handing out $20 bills. Not only to them, but to others too as I soon learned. There were plenty of times, as a college kid, that I wouldn’t have had enough gas to get from home back to college if not for his $20. I had to smile. Funny that none of us had known he was giving to the others. That was so like him. Giving without making a big deal of it. Quiet generosity. Speaking with actions rather than words.

I’m thankful that certain parts of Dee live on in me. I’m thankful that while dad may not have left a fortune, he left a legacy, a legacy I’m still trying to live up to. Most of all I’m thankful for 1911.

That was a very good year.