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THE PULL OFCONCORD ACADEMY MAGAZINE SPRING 2008by Gail FriedmanAbove, from left: Nick Deane ‘01,Mike Firestone ‘01, SandraWillett Jackson ‘61, Jill HarkenHall ‘61, Matt Chandler ‘02, andJeremy Tamanini ‘9416It was 4:00 a.m. at Bill Bailey’s campus home when thephone rang. A student in his American Politics and Govern -ment class, Mike Firestone ’01, was calling from Al Gore’sheadquarters in Nashville with the latest news about thehistoric 2000 Gore-Bush presidential race.But Firestone wasn’t reporting only to his teacher. He wasnotifying all the students in his class, who were bundled intosleeping bags on Bailey’s living room floor. “As I look back on it,sometimes I think I lost my mind,” Teacher Emeritus Baileymused. “All these boys and girls. But none paired off, and noparents expressed any skepticism.”If they knew Bill Bailey, they realized he was a passionatedevotee of the American political process, and expected the sameenthusiasm from his students. He had campaigned door to door