James Earl Bailey

Brierfield, AL – James Earl Bailey, 83, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and former aerospace engineering professor of The University of Alabama, died peacefully in the home he built in the deep woods of Central Alabama on April 9, 2017. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl Hicks Bailey and Inez Harden Bailey, of Starkville, MS, and is survived by his wife, Phyllis Y. Bailey; his children: Dr. James E. Bailey, Jr. (Sharon) of Memphis, TN., and Susan B. Mattison (Jim) of Mercer Island, WA.; three grandchildren: Katie Mattison, and Claire and Spence Bailey; and his sister, Patsy B. Randle of Starkville, MS. From early on, Earl Bailey had a passion for airplanes and flying. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from Mississippi State, achieving 2nd Lt. in the Air Force ROTC. He reported to the U.S Air Force at Wright Field in Dayton, OH where he was promoted to Captain and worked as an Aeronautical Engineer in the Aircraft Lab. Prior to starting his 28 year career as an Aerospace Engineering Professor at University of Alabama, he worked as a Senior Engineer for General Dynamics working on the B-58 Airplane. That eventually led to his teaching and research role at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, in AE flight stability and control. He taught at The University from 1962 until his retirement in 1990, except for a 3-year stint when he held a National Science Foundation Faculty Fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also consulted for Boeing Co. in Seattle for several years. Yet one of his greatest engineering feats was designing and building, by hand, his custom A-frame log home with his son. Earl Bailey loved nature. He hunted, fished, and spent summers camping and backpacking with his family throughout the U.S. and Canada. He was an ardent conservationist and served as a Regional Vice President for the Sierra Club, advocating for clean rivers and healthy forests. He also served on the Board of the Cahaba River Society, and founded the Bibb County Citizens for Wildflowers in 1999 to promote the stewardship of Bibb County’s scenic roadsides, streams, and rivers. In retirement, Earl and Phyllis focused on hybridizing and raising orchids from seed. They won numerous awards for their orchids and are remembered for creating 49 new ‘named’ hybrid orchids. His memorial service will be held at noon on Tuesday, April 18th 2017 at Christ Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa, following a brunch reception from 10-12. The interment is scheduled at 2:45pm at the National Cemetery in Montevallo. Memorial gifts may be made to The Nature Conservancy, 2100 First Avenue N, #500, Birmingham, AL 35203 or Christ Episcopal Church, 605 Lurleen B. Wallace Blvd N. ,Tuscaloosa, AL 35401