Recognizing the Decatur Telephone Company

Floor Speech

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Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance of small-town business owners and the impact they have on local communities and to honor the Bailey family and their locally-run Telephone business.

In 1945, newlyweds William D. ``Bill'' Bailey and Louise Robinson Bailey returned to Bill's hometown of Decatur and purchased the Decatur Telephone Company. For eighty years Decatur Telephone Company has served the East Mississippi community with connectivity. They have gone from the original 7 individual phones in 1945 to laying fiber-optic cable today for a fully digitalized system privately owned in rural Mississippi. The Baileys have made a massive impact on their local community through their active participation in local groups, their church, and their support for their employees, Mr. Bailey passed away in 2015, and Mrs. Bailey continued in daily assistance of the operation of the company until her passing in 2018.

Today, their daughter Dr. Esther Bailey Smith keeps the Decatur Telephone Company tradition of service alive. Her dedication to the family legacy ensures continued service for many years to come. I am proud to represent Decatur Telephone Company in my Congressional District.

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