Mr. Bailey could command the attention of a classroom as well as a football field. When I first met him my sophomore year in room 208 of Crestview High School, I was 16 years old and I didn't have a clue what the next two years of my life would bring. I like to think of myself as a mature high-school student, although looking back now I wasn't anywhere near mature (hell, I'm still not). My parents had always, always! taught me to respect others, especially those responsible for teaching me. But I had never felt the kind of respect for a teacher that I felt for Mr. Bailey; the time I spent in his classroom was precious and sacred to me. I didn't know it then, but I know it now: no teacher would ever teach me as much as he did. Sure, he opened my eyes to the rich history of our country, the unspeakable (and often unknown) horrors of American wars and the complexity of politics...but above all I learned about respect, self-preservation and strength from the man many knew simply as "Coach."
The road to learning these from Mr. Bailey was a rough one, beginning in the spring of my junior year when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The moment you learn that one of the strongest people you know is beginning to weaken is a scary one, and I struggled to understand the seriousness of the situation that lay ahead. Our school came together, hoping and praying with every second that God would bring us through...that God would return Mr. Bailey to our halls and sidelines-HEALTHY. We played ball, ran track and went to prom but not once did we stop praying. We grew up together while he fought the disease that would eventually take his life...a disease that would change all of ours forever.
When I got the phone call on July 15, 2008 I could not believe that the fight was finally finished for Mr. Bailey. But the one thing that was far from over is his legacy; I will forever be grateful of everything he taught me and I thank God every day for not only bringing me to a struggle but pulling me up out of it a stronger and more faithful person.
