2019 Munrozie Awards: The Golden Screwdriver presented to Don Bailey & Paul O'Connell.
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Volunteer Profiles
Weatherproofing the windows before the great renovation of 2020.
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DON BAILEY
Board of Directors Member Building Committee Member Munroe Center for the Arts Handyman Extraordinaire Historian |
Don's many years of service have gifted Munroe not only with much help fixing things around the building, but also with perspective: Why, for example, do we have some old copper guttering that transforms into PVC pipe near to the sidewalk? He will tell you about the time when individuals were going around and stealing copper to sell. Don is full of stories to share.
Don spent much of his professional career in the transportation industry. When manufacturing started to move to other countries, Don saw the decline in the need for transportation of materials and goods and set himself up in the building trade with never a dull moment from then onwards.
In the mid-80's he was hired to do some work for one of the school directors at the MCA. "I always went in by the dance studio and there was never anything there but happy faces. This was a place they clearly liked to be" he recalled. It is both this culture of Happy, as well as so many areas in which to lend a helping hand that drew Don to volunteer and ultimately become a Board of Directors member, among other things.
"When we first moved to Lexington" says Don, "our neighbors had five kids and the eldest was an artist who ultimately moved on to be one of the biggest designers in NYC. It is great to see creative people able to achieve things that they would not be able to otherwise if opportunities didn't exist." Don has other ties to the arts with one daughter-in-law who performs in music theater, another who is a TV producer in the DC area, and a granddaughter who is a dancer.
When asked about his long-serving volunteer time here, Don talks about the importance of promoting things we value for the next generation. He also talks about the need for cultivating self-expression and creativity.
"I'd like to believe that the use of smartphones and artificial intelligence has something to do with how we build creative minds. Look at a painting and think, Have I ever seen anything like that before? Someone had to think of it first. And also looking at a painting might inspire you to do something new. We need to start with young minds. We need to teach the next generation."
Don talks about appreciating what we have come to learn so that we can pass it along to the next generation. Certainly his commitment and dedication to MCA over the years is a testament to this, and we are truly grateful.
Stay tuned for a future edition of the MCA monthly newsletter to find out more about Don's look back at the MCA building. . .
Don spent much of his professional career in the transportation industry. When manufacturing started to move to other countries, Don saw the decline in the need for transportation of materials and goods and set himself up in the building trade with never a dull moment from then onwards.
In the mid-80's he was hired to do some work for one of the school directors at the MCA. "I always went in by the dance studio and there was never anything there but happy faces. This was a place they clearly liked to be" he recalled. It is both this culture of Happy, as well as so many areas in which to lend a helping hand that drew Don to volunteer and ultimately become a Board of Directors member, among other things.
"When we first moved to Lexington" says Don, "our neighbors had five kids and the eldest was an artist who ultimately moved on to be one of the biggest designers in NYC. It is great to see creative people able to achieve things that they would not be able to otherwise if opportunities didn't exist." Don has other ties to the arts with one daughter-in-law who performs in music theater, another who is a TV producer in the DC area, and a granddaughter who is a dancer.
When asked about his long-serving volunteer time here, Don talks about the importance of promoting things we value for the next generation. He also talks about the need for cultivating self-expression and creativity.
"I'd like to believe that the use of smartphones and artificial intelligence has something to do with how we build creative minds. Look at a painting and think, Have I ever seen anything like that before? Someone had to think of it first. And also looking at a painting might inspire you to do something new. We need to start with young minds. We need to teach the next generation."
Don talks about appreciating what we have come to learn so that we can pass it along to the next generation. Certainly his commitment and dedication to MCA over the years is a testament to this, and we are truly grateful.
Stay tuned for a future edition of the MCA monthly newsletter to find out more about Don's look back at the MCA building. . .