Jackson Bailey
Encyclopedia
Jackson H. Bailey was an American
academic who was noted expert in Japanese history
, culture
, and Japanese-American relations. Bailey was a professor of history
at Earlham College
from 1959 until his retirement in June 1994.
Born in Portland, Maine
, Bailey attended Earlham College
, graduating in 1950. After completing a PhD. at Harvard University
in Asian history and languages, Bailey returned to Earlham in 1959, as a faculty member in the department of history. He was fluent in Japanese
and studied at several eminent Japanese universities, including the University of Kyoto and the University of Tokyo
. Among his most notable accomplishments, Bailey founded the Institute for Education on Japan. Based at Earlham, the Institute provides an academic program for majoring in
Japanese Studies. Bailey also founded the Assistant English Teaching Program, which over the last two decades of his life sent approximately 170 youthful college graduates to the northeastern Japanese region of [Tohoku] to teach English
to Japanese junior high school students. Finally, Bailey also founded the Center for Educational Media (CEM) in 1992; this program was re-named the Asian Educational Media Service and is now located at the University of Illinois.
Jackson Bailey wrote and edited many articles and textbooks on Japan and the Japanese; among the textbooks were Listening to Japan (1973) and Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives (1991). He also produced several documentaries on Japan for Public Broadcasting Service
television, most notable the nationally telecast Japan: The Living Tradition and Japan: The Changing Tradition.
Bailey was also the subject of a documentary in the Voices of Experience series produced by the Media Production Group, a part of the Asian Educational Media Service. In the documentary, Bailey speaks on rice-roots responses to four decades of social change, as depicted in his book on regional development in a community in Northeastern Japan, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives.
Bailey died on August 2 in Brattleboro, Vermont
at the age of 70 years old. He and his wife, Caroline, had moved to Vermont after his retirement in 1994.
decorated Bailey with the Order of the Sacred Treasure
. This was in recognition of his contributions to increasing understanding between Japan and the United States.
Bailey was also honored with Honorary doctorate degrees from Haverford College
in Pennsylvania
, Wabash College
in Indiana
, the College of Wooster in Ohio
, and Waseda University
in Japan
. He was awarded the 1996 Franklin Buchanan Award from the Association for Asian Studies
in recognition of his "commitment to the development of innovative teaching materials and contributions to the development of teachers at all levels". Bailey was awarded the Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Historical Association
in 1991; a Richmond Citizen of the Year, awarded by the Chamber of Commerce in 1987 for his work in attracting Japanese business investment to the area; and the Outstanding Alumni Award from Earlham College in June 1996.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic who was noted expert in Japanese history
History of Japan
The history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...
, culture
Culture of Japan
The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
, and Japanese-American relations. Bailey was a professor of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
from 1959 until his retirement in June 1994.
Born in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Bailey attended Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
, graduating in 1950. After completing a PhD. at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Asian history and languages, Bailey returned to Earlham in 1959, as a faculty member in the department of history. He was fluent in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and studied at several eminent Japanese universities, including the University of Kyoto and the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
. Among his most notable accomplishments, Bailey founded the Institute for Education on Japan. Based at Earlham, the Institute provides an academic program for majoring in
Japanese Studies. Bailey also founded the Assistant English Teaching Program, which over the last two decades of his life sent approximately 170 youthful college graduates to the northeastern Japanese region of [Tohoku] to teach English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
to Japanese junior high school students. Finally, Bailey also founded the Center for Educational Media (CEM) in 1992; this program was re-named the Asian Educational Media Service and is now located at the University of Illinois.
Jackson Bailey wrote and edited many articles and textbooks on Japan and the Japanese; among the textbooks were Listening to Japan (1973) and Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives (1991). He also produced several documentaries on Japan for Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
television, most notable the nationally telecast Japan: The Living Tradition and Japan: The Changing Tradition.
Bailey was also the subject of a documentary in the Voices of Experience series produced by the Media Production Group, a part of the Asian Educational Media Service. In the documentary, Bailey speaks on rice-roots responses to four decades of social change, as depicted in his book on regional development in a community in Northeastern Japan, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives.
Bailey died on August 2 in Brattleboro, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
at the age of 70 years old. He and his wife, Caroline, had moved to Vermont after his retirement in 1994.
Honors
In 1988 the Japanese governmentGovernment of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
decorated Bailey with the Order of the Sacred Treasure
Order of the Sacred Treasure
The is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
. This was in recognition of his contributions to increasing understanding between Japan and the United States.
Bailey was also honored with Honorary doctorate degrees from Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, the College of Wooster in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was awarded the 1996 Franklin Buchanan Award from the Association for Asian Studies
Association for Asian Studies
The Association for Asian Studies is a U.S. society focused on facilitating contact and information exchange among scholars of Asian fields. It is the self-proclaimed largest society of its kind. The Association consists of eminent Asianists, and is a non-profit organization...
in recognition of his "commitment to the development of innovative teaching materials and contributions to the development of teachers at all levels". Bailey was awarded the Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
in 1991; a Richmond Citizen of the Year, awarded by the Chamber of Commerce in 1987 for his work in attracting Japanese business investment to the area; and the Outstanding Alumni Award from Earlham College in June 1996.