George Samuel Bailey

Jan. 26, 1941 — Oct. 20, 2014 George Bailey, 73, of Corvallis peacefully passed away with his family at his side, following a serious illness. In George’s own words, “It was truly a wonderful life.” George was born in rural Alabama and spent his early years in the Birmingham area. At age 12, he moved with his family to Inglewood, California. There he attended Inglewood High School and El Camino College. George earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Southern California and his doctorate in biochemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. He completed his post-doctoral work in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and then began his career at the University of Otago Medical School in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he taught and conducted a research program for six years. He joined the faculty of Oregon State University in 1979, and went on during his 35-year tenure there to serve as Director of the Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center, Principal Investigator for the Linus Pauling Institute, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology. His area of specialty was research directed at cancer prevention. He lectured around the world and received numerous awards and honors during his career. A kindhearted, loving husband, father and friend, George had a quick wit and a special fondness for puns. George was a truly extraordinary man. He had a brilliant mind, boundless curiosity, numerous passions and many talents. During various times during his lifetime, in addition to his career, he enjoyed writing, playing and performing bluegrass music; surfing; skiing; fly fishing; hiking; camping; golfing; learning about and enjoying wine; and hands-on restoration of vintage pickup trucks. George and his wife, Carol, were happily married for 53 years. George is survived by Carol; their son, Kelly Bailey; daughter, Leanne (Randall) Collis; grandchildren, Christian, Jameson and Isabelle Collis; and sister, Patricia (Don) Coffelt. At George’s request, no public services will be held. Donations in honor of George can be made to the endowed George Bailey Graduate Student Fellowship in Cancer Research at OSU. Checks can be made out to and sent to the OSU Foundation, 850 S.W. 35th St., Corvallis, OR 97333. Please write “George Bailey Fellowship” in the memo line. Alternately, visit http://giving.campaignforosu.org, then select “Make a Gift” and note “George Bailey Fellowship” in the box for “Area you’d like to support.” Copyright 2014 Corvallis Gazette Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or

Tributes

George Samuel Bailey

January 26, 1941 - October 20, 2014