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Bobbie Bailey Collection, 1948-2016

 Collection
Identifier: SC-B-004

Content Description

The materials in this collection span from 1948 to 2016, and document Bobbie Bailey's vast career and achievements, including materials from her company Our-Way, Inc., the Greenland Expedition Society, her music-related accomplishments, Kennesaw State University, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, DeKalb Medical, UNICEF, and others. The bulk of the collection consists of photographic and audiovisual materials, including photographic prints about the company Our-Way, Inc. and the Greenland Expedition Society; about 24 videocassettes related to Our-Way, Inc. and the Greenland Expedition; about 8 sound tape reels and 2 sound cassettes related to Bobbie Bailey's music endeavors; one film reel about the Greenland Expedition Society; and about 23 CDs and DVDs chiefly containing images related to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards, various events associated with Kennesaw State University, as well as Bobbie Bailey's family. Other materials include scrapbooks, posters, photocollages, awards, proclamations, publications, programs, invitations, letters, newsletters, clippings, artworks, artifacts, degrees, and other items. The collection also contains digital content, a scrapbook containing photographic prints of the Bailey Family, including Bobbie Bailey's grandparents, parents, siblings, extended family, friends, and family celebrations including weddings, birthdays, and Christmas. The Addition of January 2017 consists of items donated by Audrey Morgan, and are related to the foundation, liquidation, and activities of the company Our-Way, Inc. Materials date from circa 1960-2002, with the bulk dating from the 1980s-2002, and include meeting minutes, liquidation/dissolution documents, by-laws, stock-related documents, articles of incorporation, and a corporate seal. The Addition of February 2017 consists of materials donated by Audrey Morgan related to the company Our-Way, Inc. Materials date from 1969-1997, with the bulk dating to the 1980s, and chiefly consist of photographic prints, including a large number of images depicting Bobbie Bailey. Other images include Audrey and Jack Morgan; company employees; social events; images of the building's exterior (including Our Way Machine Shop), plant, machinery, assembly lines, and company trucks. Other materials include Bobbie Bailey's biography files; company's historical profile; letters; press releases; articles; newsletters; brochures; and newspaper clippings.

Dates

  • Creation: 1948-2016

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research. Archival materials may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state “right to privacy” laws.  Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal cause for action if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person. KSU archives staff have taken care to identify and, in some cases, remove sensitive information found within its archival collections when undertaking archival processing work. However, privacy protected information may be revealed during use of the archival collections, particularly in those collections that are unprocessed or have been minimally processed. Researchers agree to make no notes or other recordation of privacy protected information if found within the archival collections, and further agree not to publish, publicize, or disclose such information to any other party for any purpose if found within the archival collections. Researchers agree to indemnify and hold harmless Kennesaw State University and its officers, employees, and agents from and against all suits, claims, actions, and expenses arising out of use of archival collections held by the Kennesaw State University Archives.

Physical Access

For preservation reasons, physical access to original audio and visual media in a variety of magnetic and optic formats is restricted. Access to all original media, especially in obsolete formats, will require production of listening or viewing copies. Please contact the Archives in advance to request access.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Permission to publish, reproduce, publicly display, broadcast, or distribute this material must be secured from the repository and/or copyright holder.

Biographical or Historical Information

Mary Bobbie Bailey was born in Roanoke, Alabama, in 1928. She was the third of eight children with humble roots in rural Alabama, who had an early aptitude for mechanics. When she was 10 years old, the Bailey family moved to Atlanta, and at age 15, Bobbie Bailey was looking for something to help the war effort, so she went to work for the Orr Brothers working on burned-out refrigeration compressors. She eventually stayed on after the war, working full-time and attending night school. In 1948, Bobbie Bailey began joint venture with one of the Orr Brothers, Willey Orr, to start the Our-Way Machine Shop on Elizabeth Street in the Virginia-Highlands area. When he retired in 1953, Bobbie Bailey took over as the CEO and organized a new company, Our-Way, Inc. specializing in remanufacturing of commercial refrigeration and air conditioning compressors. The small company quickly grew and built a reputation for high-capacity production and quality results. Then in 1960, another giant in the air-conditioning industry, Copeland Corporation, offered Our-Way the exclusive southeastern contract to remanufacture its compressors, which lead to its great expansion and thus became a large corporation and a major player in the global industry. In that same year, Our-Way, Inc. was formed Our-Way and a new management team was created, which included her sister, Audrey B. Morgan, as executive vice president, and her brother-in-law, Jack Morgan, to manage engineering and quality control. By 1978, the company had outgrown their building on Elizabeth Street, and moved to Tucker, Georgia, and Our-Way, Inc. became the world's largest independent remanufacturer of commercial air conditioning and refrigeration compressors. Bailey served as CEO and sole owner of the company for over 50 years, until 2001, when she sold the business to Carrier Corporation. In the late 1980s, Bobbie Bailey was approached by Patrick (Pat) Epps, chairman of Atlanta's Epps Aviation Company and President of The Greenland Expedition Society. Epps and a fellow Atlanta aviator and Vice President/Secretary of the society, Richard Taylor, had been trying for years to locate and recover a fleet (known as the "The Lost Squadron") of World War II-era military planes that were buried deep in the glaciers of Greenland. The project involved engineering, technology, and ingenuity, and the team used the manufacturing facilities at Our-Way, Inc., located in Tucker, Ga., to design and fabricate a large drilling device that became known as "The Gopher." Principal contributors of the development team included Bobbie Bailey, Jack Morgan, Bernie Dombrowski, Dick Spohn, Bill Brownlee and Dan Capp which contributed in the development of a cone-shaped melt-down unit and a guidance system to ensure a direct course to the precise location where the planes where buried under the ice. The special equipment was successfully used to melt an access passage to one of the B-17 planes in 1990 and then it was during the expedition of 1992 and with the use of the "Super Gopher" that the crew was able to retrieve a P-38 fighter plane coined the "Glacier Girl." Besides leading a large and successful corporation, Bobbie Bailey pursued a variety of interests, such as managing the Lorelei Ladies women's softball team, which she did for twenty years beginning in 1960. She also launched two independent record labels in 1981, RX-Melody and Southernaire, and through the former recorded the 25th anniversary album by The Platters. She produced live shows and television, recorded albums, co-owned a music publishing company, established music scholarships and music education programs, served as the trustee of major music organizations, including the Friends of Georgia Music Festival and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 2007, Bobbie Bailey was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and presented with its Lifetime Achievement Award for her devotion to promoting the music industry in the state of Georgia. Bobbie Bailey was influential in promoting Atlanta and Georgia as a cultural and business destination, including the creation of the music festival, Light Up Atlanta, and in 1990, she helped to secure Atlanta's bid for the Centennial Olympic Games by raising funds with the help of her sister, Audrey Morgan. Bobbie Bailey's philanthropic accomplishments are vast, including being the largest benefactor of DeKalb Medical Foundation, and major supporter of the US Fund for UNICEF. She also has a long history with Kennesaw State University (KSU), and in 1993, President Betty Siegel invited Bobbie Bailey to join the school's Foundation Board of Trustees. Her contributions to business and the community prompted KSU to award her with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1998, and has been a long-time benefactor of the university, supporting the women's softball team, supporting scholarships and programs to educate young people, and her generosity launched the Bobbie Bailey Athletic Complex in 2004, the world-class concert hall The Dr. Bobbie Bailey and Family Performance Arts Center, in 2006, and in 2007 helped KSU become an All-Steinway School of Music. Bobbie Bailey died in Atlanta, Georgia in July 2015, leaving behind a legacy of great achievements as a successful entrepreneur, business leader, her many endeavors, and her philanthropic spirit.

Extent

18 cubic feet (3 record cartons, 12 document cases, 9 oversize flat boxes, 3 artifact boxes, 3 audiovisual boxes, 14 digital objects)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Mary Bobbie Bailey was born in Roanoke, Alabama, in 1928. She was a successful entrepreneur who founded what would become the largest remanufacturer of air-conditioning and refrigeration compressors, Our-Way, Inc., and also launched music labels and produced music-related events. She helped retrieve a World War II fighter plane buried deep in the glaciers of Greenland with the design of special equipment by her company, Our-Way, Inc., and raised funds to bring the 1996 Olympics to Atlanta. Bobbie Bailey was also known for her philanthropic accomplishments, such as being the largest benefactor of DeKalb Medical Foundation, and her vast support of Kennesaw State University. She died in Atlanta, Georgia in July 2015. The materials in the collection span from 1948 to 2016, and document her vast career and achievements, including materials from her company Our-Way, Inc., the Greenland Expedition Society, her music-related accomplishments, Kennesaw State University, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, DeKalb Medical, UNICEF, and others. The bulk of the collection consists of photographic and audiovisual materials, including photographic prints about the company Our-Way, Inc. and the Greenland Expedition Society; about 24 videocassettes related to Our-Way, Inc. and the Greenland Expedition; about 8 sound tape reels and 2 sound cassettes related to Bobbie Bailey's music endeavors; one film reel about the Greenland Expedition Society; and about 23 CDs and DVDs chiefly containing images related to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards, various events associated with Kennesaw State University, as well as Bobbie Bailey's family. Other materials include scrapbooks, posters, photocollages, awards, proclamations, publications, programs, invitations, letters, newsletters, clippings, artworks, artifacts, degrees, and other items. The Addition of January 2017 consists of items donated by Audrey Morgan, and are related to the foundation, liquidation, and activities of the company Our-Way, Inc. Materials date from circa 1960-2002, with the bulk dating from the 1980s-2002, and include meeting minutes, liquidation/dissolution documents, by-laws, stock-related documents, articles of incorporation, and a corporate seal. The Addition of February 2017 consists of materials donated by Audrey Morgan related to the company Our-Way, Inc. Materials date from 1969-1997, with the bulk dating to the 1980s, and chiefly consist of photographic prints, including a large number of images depicting Bobbie Bailey. Other images include Audrey and Jack Morgan; company employees; social events; images of the building's exterior (including Our Way Machine Shop), plant, machinery, assembly lines, and company trucks. Other materials include Bobbie Bailey's biography files; the company's historical profile; letters; press releases; articles; newsletters; brochures; and newspaper clippings.

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged into five series' with one subseries: Series 1. Our-Way, Inc. -- Subseries 1.1. Greenland Expedition Society -- Series 2. Music -- Series 3. Kennesaw State University -- Series 4. 1996 Olympics, DeKalb Medical, and UNICEF -- Series 5. Personal.

Custodial History

Bobbie Bailey collage (framed item) was deaccessioned on June 9, 2017, and consequently given to James Newberry, Education Coordinator & Oral History Manager at the Museum of History and Holocaust Education, Kennesaw State University.

Method of Acquisition

Donated by Bobbie Bailey's sister and previous COO of Our-Way, Inc., Audrey Morgan, in March 17, 2016 (Accession 16-014-sc).

Accruals and Additions

Addition of January 2017 donated by Audrey Morgan on January 17, 2017 (Accession 17-001). Addition of February 2017 donated by Audrey Morgan on February 13, 2017 (Accession 17-005) Addition: April 2019 by Audrey Morgan, Lorelai Ladies scrapbook (Accession 19-009) Addition: April 2019 transfer from Kennesaw Hall attic, poster of images from Bobbie Bailey Athletic Complex Dedication, March 17, 2004 (Accession 19-011)

Related Materials

Publication
Bernstein, Susan. The Ultimate Producer: The Inspiring Story of Dr. Bobbie Bailey: Business Leader, Philanthropist, Woman of Action. Kennesaw: Kennesaw State University Press, 2013. Print. Office of VP for Student Success Records, 1980-2014.
Item
Interview with M. Bobbie Bailey, 2007-07-12: Kennesaw State University Oral History Project, Kennesaw State University Oral History Series, 1986-, KSU/45/05/001/03069.
Collection
Lorelei Ladies Softball Team Memorabilia Collection: SC/L/003.

Other Descriptive Information

The collection contains digital content.

Processing Information

Processed by: Armando Suarez, September 2016 Additions of January/February 2017 processed by: Armando Suarez

Status
Completed
Author
Armando Suarez
Date
September 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Revision Statements

  • 2020 June: updated and revised by Maggie Thomas

Repository Details

Part of the Kennesaw State University Archives Repository

Contact:
1000 Chastain Road
MD 1704
Kennesaw GA 30144 GKJ