In 2011, we lost a beloved parishioner, Richard Bailey. To us he was “Richard.” To the academic world, he was “Dr. Bailey,” of The University of Michigan Department of English and the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees: a professor, linguistic authority, and author of many books. Richard was faithful and smart and witty. He loved nothing better than intelligent conversations about ideas. In his honor, we have established a speaker’s fund, to sponsor recognized authorities about faith who would help us grow as persons of faith and service in all potential varieties.
Past Speakers
Phyllis Tickle was the second Richard W. Bailey Fund speaker on May 17, 2014. Her books include The Divine Hours series of books and The Great Emergence–How Christianity Is Changing and Why. Tickle was a member of the Episcopal Church, where she was licensed as both a lector and a lay eucharistic minister. The title of her presentation was Finding Our Place in the Age of the Spirit.
Anne Curzan, who was Richard’s protégé, was the first Richard W. Bailey Fund speaker on April 27, 2013. Professor Curzan’s research interests include the history of English, language and gender, corpus linguistics, historical sociolinguistics, pedagogy, and lexicography. The title of her presentation was Local Language Choices, Broader Social Change.