2010

At that time, there were 46 magneto telephones. #rs. Bailey worked the ~witchboard 24 hours a ~ay, while Bailey per– ~ormed the outside duties. ··· "We had some college 'rls who helped out some uring the day. but she (Mrs. Bailey) would work 'the switchboard at night," 'said Bailev. "We would have girls calling the switchboard and asking to ·peak to '.Mama· and she (\Irs. Bailey) would know 'exactly which one to ring f just by the sound of their 1voices. a An updated magneto ~tchboard was installed ~ 1946, which was used lP.Dtil a new dial system was .installed in 1950. ''Dr. Ed Pennington was ttbe local doctor at that :time. When hewould go out r to see a patient, he would 4always call the switcb– ~board and let Louise know ..where to reach him. He was upset when we went to the dial system because be had ~o hire an answering serv– ..ire," Bailey said. • In 1978, Bailey brought ·n a new digital system that :ve Decatur the distinc- ion of having one of the irst all-digital telephone ompanies in the United "tates. It also brought the umber of available lines up to 1,600. · About this same time IDrC began to offer all pri- }vate lines instead of "party lines.

i

his de~ at East CcntraC Bailey served two addi– tional years active duty during the Korean Conflict and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel As a student at East Central, Bailey said he had "a lot of fun." "The train came through each morning about 2 a.m. Some of the students, and I won't call any names, would put soap on the rails. When the train would try to leave the wheels would spin on the rails and the train couldn't go until it was cleaned off." Like most students in those days, Bailey had a job. "1 would paint houses for Mr. Leon Eubanks (for– mer ECCC English instruc– tor) for 10 cents an hour to put myself through school," Bailey said Bailey most recently

"That was one of the happiest days of my life," said Mrs. Bailey. ~\\~en we had the party lines. kids would play on them and adults couldn't make a call. So they would call the phone company. We didn't ,have to worry about that once we went to all private lines." While keeping basic rates the same as they were more than 30 years ago, Bailey has also contin- ,ued to keep up with the lat– ~est advances in telephone 1technology. ! Copper phone cables "';are currently being ~ . hanged to fiber, giving bet– r service for the compa– y's 2,400 subscribers. "While the copper ·wiring allowed up to 24 pri– . vate conversations per line, tbe fiber cable provides over 100," Bailey said. "It also allows broadband and

On bike, April 28, 1943... Home on leave and visiting with his mom and dad in Decatur in yard of the American Legion But. His parents lived in one end of the American Legion But. collected, all the donations were put in a school bus and it was shipped to South America. "We stayed two to three weeks and installed a phone company in the local school. They went from having one phone to 40!" Alter completing one year at EC, Bailey hitch– hiked to Meridian and joined the Air Force on July 9, 1940. He served five years in the South Pacific and at the Panama Canal duringWorldWar ll, before returninl1 and comoletinl'!