For more than three decades, Duane A. Bailey patrolled the fields, rivers, woodlots and marshes of northwest Ohio as a Wildlife Officer, enforcing conservation laws while witnessing countless moments of humor, hardship, and humanity. Now, after years of encouragement from friends and fellow officers, Bailey has transformed those experiences into his first book, The Rings of Saturn: A Game Warden’s View of the Universe.
Bailey began his career with the Ohio Division of Wildlife on January 1, 1980, working in wildlife management throughout the Lake Erie marshes. Less than two years later, after completing the Division’s training academy, he was assigned to Paulding County on November 1, 1981, succeeding retiring Game Protector Dan Griffiths Jr. He would remain in the area for the next 32½ years before retiring on June 1, 2012.
Originally from the east side of Columbus, Bailey graduated from Whitehall-Yearling High School. His father, a schoolteacher and former aircraft industry employee during World War II, and his mother, whose strong Christian faith left a lasting impression, helped shape the values that would guide Bailey throughout his career…