A Volunteer's Perspective Frances Bailie's Scrapbook

From the earliest days of the Nation, volunteers have supported Service members, Veterans and their families. From Revolutionary War camp followers, to the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War and the American Red Cross of WWI, volunteers have mobilized nationwide relief efforts and provided the framework for the first Veterans hospitals system.

This exhibit explores that legacy through the scrapbook of Frances Bailie, a VA volunteer in the early 1950s. Her scrapbook, now part of the National VA History Center collection, offers a glimpse into the everyday work of service that shaped countless lives.

The Origins of the VA Voluntary Service

After World War II, the Veterans Administration, under the leadership of General Omar Bradley, faced the enormous responsibility of supporting millions of returning Veterans. Recognizing the need for a unified volunteer program, eight national organizations; American Legion and its Auxiliary; American Red Cross; Disabled American Veterans and its Auxiliary; United Service Organizations Inc.; and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Auxiliary joined together on May 15, 1946, creating the Veterans Administration Voluntary Service (VAVS), a coordinated national volunteer force.

The original 1946 V.A.V.S. banner representing the first year of the Veterans Administration Voluntary Service program.

"[Volunteers] can furnish something the Government never can provide, and that is the personal touch-just a little bit of home." - Harry S. Truman

A Volunteer’s Perspective: Frances Bailie's Scrapbook

By the early 1950s, VAVS had evolved from a postwar support effort into a comprehensive system that reached VA hospitals, nursing centers, outpatient clinics, domiciliary homes, and long-term care wards. The contents of Miss Bailie's scrapbook document daily life at the Richmond VA Medical Center in 1954, serving as a rare first person record of the early VAVS program.

Graduation, 1954. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office. 1954 graduation photograph of volunteer training class at McGuire VA Hospital.
Graduation Program clipping, 1954. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
VAVS Certificate (VA Form 6-7017, Aug. 1950) awarded to Miss Frances Bailie on May 2, 1954, confirming her completion of the VA Orientation and Indoctrination Course for Volunteer Workers. Signed by the VAVS Chairman. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

Social Life and Community Building

Volunteers played a critical role in creating a sense of normalcy for Veterans recovering from injury or long-term illness.

Portraits of veterans at McGuire VA Hospital, documenting daily life and individual personalities in the wards. Ed Maxwell; Frank "Moses"; Robt. "Yerby"; Allan Zartman, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

Volunteers played a critical role in creating a sense of normalcy for Veterans recovering from injury or long-term illness. Scrapbook photographs reveal the social world of volunteers created for hospitalized veterans. Social dances and ward gatherings fostered connection; religious and recreational support helped Veterans navigate daily routines; and even the presence of hospital mascots added levity and comfort to clinical spaces.

Recreation and social activities inside the VA hospital, including Veterans in wheelchairs gathering in hallways and card games.

Games & Gatherings

Volunteers assist patients in the orthopedic ward providing bedside activities during recovery. Untitled photograph, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

One highlighted activity is a volunteer-led Spinning Wheel Game, a popular carnival-style attraction that added excitement to hospital recreation days.

Untitled photographs, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Right: Untitled photograph of Veterans in wheelchairs gather to socialize; Left: Chris Keyhoe - "Pappy," ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Surgery Ward 10A, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Volunteers deliver books, games, and amenities to hospitalized Veterans. Surgery Ward 10A, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Two Veterans playing shuffleboard a recreation room. Jim, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Scrapbook page documenting daily volunteer activity in Surgery Ward 10B, including bedside support, reading material distribution, and hallway visits. Surgery Ward 10B, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

Food, Hospitality, and Daily Care

Veterans gather for a social evening in the ward, enjoying bottled sodas and conversation. Untitled photograph, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Volunteers host Veterans for a home-style meal, offering a comforting change from the hospital environment. Untitled photograph, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

Volunteers often assisted staff during events, supported snack bars, and helped create welcoming spaces where Veterans could gather.

A Veteran proudly displays a cake during a ward celebration, one of many morale-boosting events organized by volunteers. Untitled photograph, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

The scrapbook also includes details such as cigarette rations, snack items, and holiday treats, revealing the everyday comforts that shaped Veterans’ experiences.

Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, and Adaptive Sports

Volunteers partnered closely with Occupational Therapists, teaching crafts such as weaving, knitting, leatherwork, and carving. Scrapbook images also document early wheelchair basketball, a recreational activity that helped pave the way for the national adaptive sports movement. Volunteers supported these programs by organizing practices and assisting with equipment.

Radio

Scrapbook clippings featuring Veterans Arthur Aldric, John Council, William G. Bowles, McCollum, and Richard S. Hummel document their participation in a hospital-based radio broadcast promoting vocational rehabilitation and employability.

Medical Practices

The scrapbook images offer rare, candid views into the clinical settings volunteers stepped into each day. Revealing what care and medical innovation looked like in a mid-century VA hospital.

A volunteer visits a Veteran in a traction, from Surgery Ward 10B, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Volunteers bring reading materials and conversation to a Veteran in traction. Untitled photograph, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

Polio Pandemic & the VA

Polio wards required specialized equipment such as traction frames, manual respirators, and iron lungs. Rehabilitation was long and intensive making the service provided by volunteers invaluable.

The featured image of a wheelchair bound vet and Don Morrison in his iron lung also features a Proof Suction Unit, in the lower right foreground. Showcasing not only the medical technology of the time but also how the VA had used of the state of the art medical devices to care for Veterans.

A polio ward patient rests inside an iron lung while another Veteran in a wheelchair poses nearby. Polio Ward #19, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

While hospitals focused on medical treatment, many Veterans felt isolated and far from their loved ones. For volunteers, these environments shaped the rhythms of service: the spaces where they offered comfort, navigated crowded wards, and supported Veterans through long recoveries.

A volunteer supports a recovering Veteran by delivering bedside materials, from Surgery Ward 10B, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
Volunteers visit a Veteran undergoing traction treatment, from Surgery Ward 10B, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

Emotionally Connecting to the Volunteers & Veterans

Mrs. Attkisson Rickett delivers tissues to two Veterans in wheelchairs. Speaker Mrs. Attkisson Rickett, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

The scrapbook includes deeply personal moments: shared camaraderie among Veterans, the emotional impact of patient loss, and how volunteers formed relationships that extended beyond tasks.

Jack Codon, Clayton Cheek, Hubert Ware, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.
A personal card from Thurman Rowland.

Recognition, Awards, and the Culture of Service

The scrapbook’s preserved certificates and clippings illuminate how volunteer identity and pride were cultivated within the VA community. The certificate nestled in the scrapbook indicates a formal connection, suggesting that the Merry Macs had an official partnership with the Veterans Administration.

Scrapbook photographs of the “Merry Macs,” a women’s volunteer group at McGuire Hospital, preparing food, hosting gatherings, and creating a warm social environment for Veterans. Merry Macs, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

VAVS Ongoing Service

Frances Bailie’s scrapbook offers an intimate window into the early years of VAVS and the essential role volunteers played in Veteran care. Through her images, clippings, and mementos, we see the foundation of a program that has grown into a nationwide network. Now called the Center for Development and Civic Engagement, the program has become one of the largest centralized volunteer forces in the Federal government. Since 1946, volunteers have provided over 760 million hours of service and nearly $1.9 billion dollars in gifts and donations. As CDCE approaches its 80th anniversary, this scrapbook reminds us that volunteer service has always been central to the mission of caring for America’s Veterans.

Volunteers relax together in the hospital ward lounge after completing their service rounds, reflecting the camaraderie central to volunteer life. Untitled photograph, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

For more information on Volunteer Service, to get involved or donate please visit www.volunteer.va.gov to find VA Volunteer opportunities nearest you.

Frances Carrier, Lois Norton, Marvin Tierman, Jo Thompson, ca. 1954-1958. From the Frances Bailie Scrapbook, Veterans Affairs History Office.

Credits:

Brooke, Georgina. “Usability Testing How-To.” Cultural Content, April 14, 2023. https://culturalcontent.substack.com/p/cultural-content-usability-testing. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. “Polio Timeline.” History of Vaccines.https://www.historyofvaccines.org/history/polio/timeline. Eisenhower, Dwight D. “Special Message to the Congress on the Nation’s Health Program.” January 26, 1956. The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/special-message-the-congress-the-nations-health-program. Hadro, Josh. “Manufacturing Impact: Why We Digitize.” New York Public Library Blog, November 6, 2017. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2017/11/06/manufacturing-impact-digitize. Kennedy, Anra, Harry Verwayen, and Beth Daley. “The Paths to Digital Transformation.” In Museums and Digital Confidence, edited by Ross Parry, Vince De Berdt Reed, Esther. "Letter from Esther De Berdt Reed to George Washington, 4 July 1780." Founders Online, National Archives. Founders Archives. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-26-02-0498 (accessed December 3, 2025). Dziekan, and Karin de Wild, Routledge, 2025. National Association of Caregiving. “NACNews.org.” https://www.nacnews.org/. Nikolaou, Polina. “Museums and the Post-Digital: Revisiting Challenges in the Digital Transformation of Museums.” Heritage 7, no. 3 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7030084. Parry, Ross. “The End of the Beginning: Normativity in the Postdigital Museum.” Museum Worlds 1 (2013): 24–39. https://figshare.le.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/The_End_of_the_Beginning_Normativity_in_the_Postdigital_Museum/10202888. Matz, Bill. “My Toughest Battle: A Soldier’s Lifelong Struggle With Polio.” Polio Network Archive, November 15, 2025. https://polionetwork.org/archive/6fo5w83w50exmhj1cwseunfo6f4wwv. Ramos Muiz, Katherine. “Our Volunteers Are Out-of-This-World: Volunteer Recognition.” VA Asheville Health Care Stories, April 29, 2025. https://www.va.gov/asheville-health-care/stories/our-volunteers-are-out-of-this-world-volunteer-recognition/. Rappahannock Record. “Dr. Doolen Named Chief At McGuire’s.” Rappahannock Record (Virginia Chronicle), August 14, 1953, p. 21. Richman, Mike. “VA Researchers, Scientists at Forefront of Groundbreaking Medical Advancements.” VA News, October 20, 2022. https://news.va.gov/110082/researchers-scientists-medical-advancements/ Steiger, Dorothy; Angelo, Raffaele; Robert Trendler Orchestra. “Here’s to Veterans” (78 rpm record). (recording date uncertain). Streaming audio, Archive.org. https://archive.org/details/78_heres-to-veterans_dorothy-steiger-angelo-raffaele-robert-trendler-orchestra-and_gbia0351842b. University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries. Gomco advertisement 1965-1966. Digital Library. https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/F3DZPCIX2OA6D8K. Truman, Harry S. “Remarks to Members of the National Advisory Committee of the Veterans Administration Voluntary Services.” May 21, 1952. U.S. National Archives & Records Administration, SR60-117. Accessed December 3, 2025. https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/public-papers/135/remarks-members-national-advisory-committee-veterans-administration. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Object 39: ‘Here’s to Veterans’.” VA History 100 Objects. https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-39-heres-to-veterans/. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Wheelchair Basketball.” VA History — 100 Objects, item 077. https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/077-wheelchair-basketball/ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “VetData – Report.” VA.gov. https://www.va.gov/vetdata/report.asp U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Volunteer.va.gov.” https://www.volunteer.va.gov/. Wong, Amelia. “The Whole Story, and Then Some: ‘Digital Storytelling’ in Evolving Museum Practice.” MW2015: Museums and the Web 2015, published January 31, 2015. https://mw2015.museumsandtheweb.com/paper/the-whole-story-and-then-some-digital-storytelling-in-evolving-museum-practice/.