Time to Say Thank You

Here's Chris Bailey, the longtime curator of the American Clock and Watch Museum. He's retired now, but a whole pile of people showed up on Saturday to wish him well. He's shown in this photo by Bristol Press photographer Mike Orazzi in the gallery that the museum recently named after him.
Very cool. I'm sure from his perspective that it was a lot nicer to get in his retirement than a gold watch...
I've known Chris since he came back to work at the museum for the second 15 years of his 30 years there. That was in 1995. He is a dear man, gracious, helpful and full of knowledge and more than willing to share it. He's really busy, but he's always had time for me.
This guy is a walking encyclopedia, not only about clocks, but about clockmakers and a lot of Bristol history.
Before his retirement, Chris finished work on a terrific history of the museum called Fifty Years of Time, The First 50 Years of the American Clock & Watch Museum. It was good of him to get a lot of that important information down for posterity, and to help his successor, Mary Jane Dapkus, as she finds her footing as the new curator.
There are a few copies for sale at the museum gift shop, and also some charming commemorative tee shirts with Chris' picture on them.
Chris himself has an interesting story, and I wrote about him for Monday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com)