Bailey, Former Secretary to Corporation, Overseers, Passes Away at 98

David W. Bailey '21, former secretary for the Harvard Corporation and Board of Overseers--the two governing boards of the University--died on Jan. 1 in his home in Cambridge. He was 98 years old.

Bailey, born in Quincy, Mass., spent his entire life devoted to Harvard. Professor of Economics John Kenneth Galbraith praised Bailey as a "great pillar of the Harvard community."

A former Crimson editorial chair, Bailey remained in the publication business after his graduation.

After a several years as a reporter for the Boston Transcript, Bailey became the publications agent for Harvard in 1928. In this capacity he supervised all University publications including the alumni directory, the Gazette, official registers and catalogs.

In 1943, Bailey joined the Harvard administration as the secretary of both the Corporation and Board of Overseers. He worked under presidents James B. Conant '14 and Nathan M. Pusey '28.

In a telephone interview with The Crimson, Pusey credited Bailey with helping him adjust to his new role as president.

Bailey visited Pusey at his home in Iowa before Pusey took office to help the new president understand the problems he would face. Pusey called Bailey a "credit to the institution" and "the kind of person who went to Harvard, fell in love with it and studied it."

Bailey's most praised accomplishment was spearheading the construction of the Cambridge Street overpass which joins what was then North Campus to the South Campus. This bridge now allows undergraduates to reach the Science Center from Harvard Yard.

Before the construction of the over-pass, students had to cross the dangerous and busy street.

After several years of severe opposition from the University, which cited the prohibitive cost and its belief that Harvard was already perfect, Bailey ultimately succeeded in obtaining funds from the University.

According to Galbraith, the bridge was to be called the Bailey Bridge, but Pusey vetoed the idea.

Bailey was also instrumental in the founding of public television in Boston. From 1950 to 1965 he was a member of the WGBH executive committee.

He retired from his positions at the University in 1965 and received an honorary degree in 1966 which cited him as a "Scholar-scribe, devoted to precision, precedent and propriety; longtime generous and helpful officer of this university," according to The Boston Globe.

His son, Charles Bailey '50, also a former Crimson editorial chair, says that the elder Bailey "seemed to know everything about the University."

"In a way, he was for many years the institutional memory of the Harvard governing structure," he said.

Even after his retirement, Bailey continued his association with the University he loved as honorary keeper of records.

He is survived by his wife Joyce W. Bailey, daughter Joanna Bailey '51, son Charles, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.