APEA past president and Hall of Fame member Gerald Bailey passed away Saturday, January 4, 2025.
Gerald’s career in the poultry industry began in 1964 when started to with Pillsbury Company, later working for Gold Kist as field operations manager until his retirement in 2002.
Gerald also found time to take an active leadership role in the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association. He believed a strong industry organization was important for a growing industry. Serving first on the Executive Committee, he began to work his way through the ranks of service, first as secretary/treasurer, then vice president and finally president in June of 1979.
During his time on the APEA board, he worked with Wallace State Community College to develop a poultry curriculum. He even taught a few of the classes himself.
After his presidential term ended, he served as chairman of the Auburn University Relations Committee. He was the only poultry representative serving on the Auburn Agricultural Advisory Committee. It was in this capacity that Gerald Bailey made perhaps his greatest contribution to Alabama poultry.
Gerald saw the need for a diagnostic laboratory located at Auburn University. The concept involved, not only the base lab at Auburn, but two satellite labs as well, one at Elba and the other at Albertville. The Marshal County facility would be involved entirely with poultry.
Gerald was also very involved in the development of the Auburn University poultry research farm. As chairman of the Poultry Industry Relations Committee to the Auburn poultry science department, he worked with the Alabama Legislature to secure a one-time grant of $500,000 and worked to assure constant funding sources for the farm. Many of today’s industry leaders gained hands on experience at that very farm.
Visitation and funeral service will be held at Moss Service Funeral Home, Cullman, AL, on Thursday, January 9, 2025. Visitation starts at 10:00 AM. and the funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM. Burial will follow at Walker Memory Gardens Cemetery in Jasper, AL.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in memory of Gerald to the Alabama Poultry Foundation Auburn University Poultry Science Scholarship c/o APEA P.O. Box 240 Montgomery, AL 36101
For obituary visit: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/cullman-al/gerald-bailey-12154331