Commission Chairman Wesley Bailey

Wes Bailey, the youngest child of Paul and Irene Bailey, was born and raised near Newport, Washington on Coyote Trail Ranch with three sisters and a brother. He attended Newport Schools from Kindergarten (all day back then!) through the 12th Grade. He milked his dad's dairy cows at a very early age, did his share of chores, and helped with the raising and harvesting of their major farm crop, grass hay. As a pre-teenager he helped his dad build the farmhouse that stands on the home place today. His high school sport was baseball. Wes was an active member of FFA and enjoyed judging livestock at fairs. He also learned to love hunting and fishing.

After graduating from Newport High School Wes moved to Harrington to work for a wheat farmer, Bly’s, to earn money to go to college. In 1959 he attended WSU in Pullman and then went on to Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska the next year where his girl friend, Ardella Shafer, from Mead, Washington was going to college.

During the summers of 1960-1962, Wes worked for his brother-in-law logging northeast of Usk, Washington. He married Ardella in July 1961. That summer they lived briefly in Cusick. They then moved to Ellensburg to attend CWU. There Wes obtained an industrial arts teaching degree and became the proud father of a son, Kerry.

His first teaching job was teaching woodshop on the Yakima Indian Reservation at White Swan High in White Swan, Washington. Another son, Karl, joined the family during that time. Then in 1967 Wes returned to Ellensburg to be the Assistant Dean of Men at CWU and to work on his Master's Degree in Industrial Education. A third son, Kurt, was born. To provide for his family, in addition to his college duties, Wes lived in and managed an apartment complex, Brookside Manor, cleaned businesses and closed the college library. During this time Wes wrote his thesis and obtained a Master's Degree in Industrial Education in the spring of 1968.

The fall of 1968 Wes began teaching woodshop, metals and driver's education at Issaquah High in Issaquah, Washington. There through his church activity he became a devoted Boy Scout leader. As Scoutmaster he reveled in teaching his Boy Scouts to camp, hike, compete and survive. In 1977 he was selected by the Greater Seattle BSA Council to take a troop back east to participate in a National BSA Jamboree at Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania. Also, to his pleasure, two daughters were born, Kristie in 1969 and Katrina in 1975 while living in Issaquah.

His leadership in scouting continued in Yakima Valley while he taught at Granger High School, operated a small fruit farm, and guided his sons as they raised pigs for their FFA projects. As Scoutmaster there, he again took a troop back east for another National BSA Jamboree at For Aphill, Virginia.

Then it was on to Prosser, Washington to teach at Prosser High School were he became a Scoutmaster for the third time. Through his scouting career he helped some fifty Boy Scouts in his troops earn the rank of Eagle Scout (three of which were his own sons!). In 1986, in recognition of his service, Wes received The Silver Beaver coveted award from the Fort Simcoe BSA Council in Yakima, Washington.

After thirty years of teaching Wes retired from the Prosser School District in 1994 and returned to Newport to live on and operate the Bailey farm known as Coyote Trail Ranch. He and his wife have been married 47 years. Only one of their children lives in Washington State. They have thirteen grandchildren. Wes continues to love hunting and farming. As far as activity, he is a substitute teacher for Newport High, served a couple of terms on the Pend Oreille County Agricultural Board, keeps abreast of weed control measures, holds a current weed spraying license, is active in his church, and has learned a lot about the operation of a fire district through his work as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for Pend Oreille County Fire District No. 3.

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Fire District 3 Commission Chairman Wes Bailey Welcomes the Governor	Governor Gregoire Greets Commissioners Wes Bailey, Gary Wilkey, and Leonard Pielli 2007	Commissioners Wilkey and Bailey at Sacheen Station Open House Ceremony - 2007


Sacheen Lake Bronze Cornerstone Plaque	Sacheen Lake Mason's Plaque Dedication - 2007	Sacheen Lake Station Ground Breaking Ceremony 2007


Commission Chair Bailey, Commissioner Pielli, and Commissioner Wilkey Awards Dinner - 2007	Commission Chair Bailey Awards "Firefighter of the Year Training Award" to Firefighter Larry Eldridge - 2006	Commission Chair Bailey with Commissioners Wilkey and Pielli at Awards Dinner - 2006