Passionate Summer Citizen David Bailey Continues Love for Learning
Thirteen years ago, David Bailey and his wife, Anita, were headed to Oregon on a vacation. As they drove, they happened upon Logan, Utah, where they took in the scenery and admired the beauty of the town for the first time.
As they continued driving, the Baileys discovered Utah State University and fell in love almost immediately.
Upon their return home, they began researching Logan and came across the Summer Citizens program. They signed up right away for the following summer.
Over 12 years later, the pair continues to make Logan their summer home.
A lifetime in healthcare
Long before their summers in Logan began, David Bailey found his lifelong career as a young man serving in the army.
While stationed in Germany, Bailey was put in charge of the hospital pharmacy. Even though he had never spent any time working in hospitals, he discovered he enjoyed it and he never looked back.
After returning to America, Bailey spent his undergraduate college years at Purdue University, eventually graduating with his master’s from the University of Washington.
After leaving Seattle, Bailey worked at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for nine years. He then worked at MIT for 15 years, where he started a pharmacy in their student and employee health services programs.
Bailey said he’s worked just about every job available in a pharmacy and has also spent much of his time in academia.
“I’ve worked in home care and hospice, and I just had a really wonderful career,” Bailey said.
Bailey retired with his wife about five years ago to a retirement community south of Tucson, Arizona, known as Green Valley.
The Baileys revere themselves as a military family, supporting their son who is an active-duty Marine Corps officer, his wife and two grandchildren.
“We’re very much centered on their life with the military,” Bailey said. “And having been in the military, I sort of can relate to some of his experiences.”
Finding a second home in Utah
Now, the Baileys make the most of their time in the Summer Citizens program by getting involved and treating Logan as another home.
“We feel very comfortable with this environment and very much at home,” Bailey said.
Bailey and his wife are just two of 40 volunteers who serve as Summer Citizen ambassadors. Ambassadors have a variety of responsibilities within the program said Linda D’Addabbo, program coordinator for the Summer Citizens program. These responsibilities include recruiting and sharing information about the program with others during their winter months at home.
Their efforts appear to be paying off, as over 840 people are participating in the program this year. This is a record high number for the program since it first began 43 years ago.
D’Addabbo has been involved in the creation and direction of this program since May 2010 and has enjoyed being able to meet the participants and watch their involvement in the program.
“My favorite part is how much they love to be involved in a campus community, having the opportunity for college-level continuing education and experiencing and exploring northern Utah through the guided bus tours all offered through the program participation,” D’Addabbo said.
While vacationing in Logan for the summer, the Baileys also take side trips to national parks and recently visited Zion National Park.
The Baileys enjoy the change of scenery that Logan brings them during their three-month stay, as well as a unique social environment, different from their Arizona home.
“We have met a lot of people that we look forward to seeing every year when we come, but we also try to do some things in the community as well,” David said. “We’re probably more social here than we are in Arizona.”
Some of Bailey’s favorite Summer Citizen activities revolve around music and the Caine College of the Arts.
In his home community in Arizona, Bailey is a member of the Green Valley Concert Band and also plays in a clarinet group.
While in Logan, he takes music lessons from a local musician and plays in a clarinet group for nursing home gigs.
“I enjoy going to the different concerts at the tabernacle, other concerts downtown and the Sunday afternoon concerts with the alumni band,” David said.
When he isn’t playing music, David can most likely be found on the tennis court. Tennis, he said, is “his game.”
Bailey has found stark differences between Arizona and Logan, but says the diversity sets both places apart from each other.
“I respect the (LDS) culture, and I think it offers a lot of good things for citizens that live here in Utah,” Bailey said. “I would like to see some of those things come to Arizona. On the other hand, there are things in Arizona that I’d like to bring up here.”
Bailey prefers the warmth and sunshine found year-round in Arizona, which is something that Logan doesn’t have.
“Arizona is a year-round outside culture. You can do things outdoors all year round. I like to hike in Arizona just as much as I like hiking here, but I can do it year-round in Arizona, and I don’t want to see snow ever again,” Bailey said.
For Bailey, coming back to an academic environment is refreshing and a change of pace.
With their academic backgrounds, the Baileys have enjoyed the classes offered at the university, especially the classes taught by Ross Peterson, an emeritus history professor who taught at USU
“I think it’s very stimulating. I’m looking for that stimulus, and something to keep me interested,” Bailey said. “I like to think the academic environment, just in itself, is very valuable to me, and I like to feel like I’m a part of it.”
As for the future of this program, Bailey hopes that more students will find ways to get involved with the summer citizens.
“I get older but the students all stay the same age, and I appreciate that,” Bailey said. “I like being with the students and I think having a closer relationship with the student body would be a valuable experience for the summer citizens.”
—kortni.marie.wells@aggiemail.usu.edu
@kortniwells