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April 6, 2008
Gift to build new home for Purdue Musical Organizations
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
Ralph E. Bailey and his wife, Bettye J. Holder Bailey, of Naples, Fla., and Greenwich, Conn., made the lead gift to construct a facility expected to cost as much as $8 million. The music groups currently are housed in a corner of Elliott Hall of Music.
"For more than 110 years, the 150 students in our Purdue Musical Organizations have delighted people around the world with their performances," said Purdue President France A. Córdova, whose inauguration is Friday (April 11). "They are tremendous ambassadors for the university. They presently are in quarters that are not adequate, and this building is long overdue. We thank Ralph and Bettye Bailey for their vision and generosity."
Ralph Bailey is chairman of the American Bailey Corp. of Stamford, Conn., a private investment company. He also serves as executive chairman of Fuel Tech Inc. and is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Conoco.
Bettye Bailey served as a trustee of Wilmington University (formerly Wilmington College) in Wilmington, Del., for 23 years.
Julie Ricciardi, PMO assistant director, said a new facility is very much needed.
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"Purdue Musical Organizations has a long and treasured history at Purdue and throughout the world as a professional entertainment enterprise," Ricciardi said. "What we haven't had are the facilities.
"PMO is spread over five floors, and there is no place for us to rehearse combined ensembles. When we need to rehearse together, we've had to use a local church. The current space is not handicapped accessible, preventing some students from participating. Some of our offices are in converted closets.
"The gift from Ralph and Bettye Bailey also will offer PMO the opportunity to expand from 150 to 200 students while combining a world-class education with the personal artistic talent of students who serve as Purdue's No. 1 ambassadors."
Plans for the facility include rehearsal rooms for each of the primary ensembles, including the Varsity Glee Club, Purduettes, Purdue Bells and Heart & Soul; several smaller individual rehearsal rooms; an audiovisual room; office space for administrators and business and support staff; a lounge area for gatherings and study groups; environmentally controlled spaces for storing electronic equipment, costumes and other materials; and a music library.
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The PMO staff and university advancement officers have already begun meeting with alumni and friends to begin raising the remaining funds for the building.
"I have no doubt that our alumni and audiences will want to help build our new home," Ricciardi said. "As our founder Al Stewart said, 'There's no fun without music!'"
A location for the new building has not been confirmed.
Ralph Bailey said he and his wife have long enjoyed the work of Purdue Musical Organizations.
"I have always felt that their fine voices, high energy and engaging personalities make the students of PMO not only role models for the other students, but also great ambassadors for Purdue," he said. "Purdue is without a music school, but these young people ensure that it is not a school without music, which is so important for a well-rounded education. Their hard work makes many lives more pleasant."
Bailey said he and his wife are pleased to be able to help provide a better space for the musical organizations.
"A new facility will allow the program to grow and reach a whole new generation of students and audiences around the world," he said. "It's an investment in the future."
Ralph Bailey grew up in Lynnville, in southwest Indiana. He came to Purdue in 1942 and completed one year of school before joining the armed forces. He served in Gen. George Patton's 3rd Army Division during World War II. He married Bettye soon after the war and returned to Purdue in 1946. He earned his degree in mechanical engineering in 1949.
His first job out of Purdue was in the coal mining business in southern Indiana. He remained in the coal business and served as chairman and CEO of Consolidation Coal (now Consol Energy) before joining Conoco. He became chairman and CEO of Conoco in 1979. At retirement he began a new career, co-founding American Bailey Corp. with his son, Douglas, in 1987.
Ralph Bailey has received numerous honors from Purdue, including an honorary doctorate in mechanical engineering in 1979. He was named an Outstanding Mechanical Engineer in 1991. He also received the President's Council Distinguished Service Award in 1986 and was an Engineering Distinguished Alumnus and Purdue Old Master in 1976. Indiana's governor granted him a Sagamore of the Wabash in 1982.
He has served Purdue in several leadership roles, including service on three fundraising campaigns: the Plan for the Eighties campaign, which he chaired, the Vision 21 Campaign and the Campaign for Purdue, on which he served on the national steering committee. The couple also has established the Ralph and Bettye Bailey Professorship of Combustion in Mechanical Engineering and the Ralph and Bettye Bailey Purdue Merit Scholarship.
In 1984, after raising four children and supporting them through their educations, Bettye Bailey decided to pursue a degree of her own and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of Pittsburgh.
"Since graduating at age 60, she has been a strong supporter of general studies and of the arts and sciences at the University of Pittsburgh," Ralph Bailey said. "She is a long-term fan of PMO and appreciates the role music can play in the lives of young people."
In addition to the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, Purduettes, Purdue Bells and Heart & Soul, other Purdue Musical Organizations include the All Campus and Community Chorale and PMO specialties, Ba-Na-Na, Holy Cow Girls and Four-In-Hand. Student performers present more than 200 performances each year, including the Purdue Christmas Show, which is broadcast internationally on public television and radio networks.
Writer: Tanya Brown, (765) 494-2079, tanyabrown@purdue.edu
Source: Julie Ricciardi, (765) 494-3947, jericciardi@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Members of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club sing during one of the group's performances. A $4 million gift from Ralph E. and Bettye J. Holder Bailey will help pay for a new home for the Purdue Varsity Glee Club and the other Purdue Musical Organizations student ensembles. (Purdue News Service file photo)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2008/PMO-baileygiftGC.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
PMO members perform on the steps of Hovde Hall during the 2007 Purdue Sings: An American Salute. A $4 million gift from Ralph E. and Bettye J. Holder Bailey will help pay for a new home for PMO's student ensembles. (Purdue News Service file photo)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2008/PMO-baileygift.jpg
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