R. Kenneth Baily Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSS-218

Scope and Content Note

The R. Kenneth Baily Collection contains two boxes of correspondence, photographs, and digitized film documenting the role of the Varsity Inn on the Arizona State College (now Arizona State University) campus and the city of Tempe, Arizona between 1930 and 1943.

Box 1 contains correspondence between Varsity Bill and students of Arizona State College during their service in World War II. The bulk of the letters were written by ASC alumni and enlistees during their basic training in California and Texas between 1943 and 1944.

Box 2 contains 39 photographs and 18 negatives showing scenes from the Varsity Inn and parades along University Drive in Tempe, Arizona between 1935 and 1938. A 49-minute, digitized film contains similar campus scenes from the Varsity Inn and other events on the ASC campus around the same period. The audio content of the film includes the Baily family discussing the content of the film and people they recognize.

Dates

Creation: 1935-1943

Language of Materials

Material in English

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

Arizona State University does not own copyright to this collection. University Archives recognizes that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.

Historical Note

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R. Kenneth Varsity Bill Baily (1902-1996) owned and operated the Varsity Inn (also known as the V.I.), located on the corner of University Drive and College Avenue in Tempe, Arizona, from 1930 to 1944. The Varsity Inn was a major destination for students due to a lack of campus-wide food service at the time. An arrangement between Baily and the Athletic Department kept the Varsity Inn open late during the football season to keep the team fed after practice. Baily also served as the team dietitian.

Baily sold the Varsity Inn in 1944 after enlisting in the United States Navy to serve in World War II. The V.I. passed through several more owners between 1944 and 1964, when the V.I. was closed and torn down to make way for the construction of a new class building that has served both the College of Nursing and the School of Sustainability.

Sources:

Varsity Bill Recalls Old Campus Hangout, Arizona Republic (April 8, 1981).

Old V-I Bows Out, Tempe Daily News (August 8, 1964).