Marian's obituary 

written by

Bob Bailey

Marian Breland (Mouse) Bailey, Ph.D.
1920 - 2001

Dr. Marian Breland Bailey passed away peacefully on September 25, 2001, at
St. Joseph's Hospital, with family at her bedside.  Marian is survived by
her husband, Bob Bailey, and her children, Bradley Breland, Dr. Frances
Ralston, Elizabeth Breland, Bob Bailey Jr., Lynn Bailey, Rae Barriner, Kimmy
Bailey Mauldin, and Ken Bailey.  Five grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren also survive her.   Marian was a unique blend of loving
wife and mother, businessperson, scientist, teacher, and humanitarian.  Her
family, friends and close associates affectionately called Marian "Mouse."

 Marian was a legend in her own time to many psychologists and animal
trainers around the world.  She and her first husband, Keller Breland,
founded the field of applied animal psychology in the 1940's. She and her
second husband, Bob Bailey, extended the field of applied animal psychology
to numerous commercial, governmental, and educational applications.

In 1938, Marian was a student of B. F. Skinner at the University of
Minnesota.  Marian was one of Skinner's "whiz kids" who worked on the secret
WW2 military project training pigeons to guide bombs.  Marian and Keller
believed that B. F. Skinner's new behavioral technology, called "operant
conditioning," was good enough to earn them a living.  In 1943, they founded
Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE) and began the study of many animal
species.  In 1946, they trained barnyard animals to advertise farm feed for
General Mills. This was the world's first commercial application of the new
behavioral technology.  By this time, Marian and Keller recognized that it
was the timely and precise application of what Skinner called the secondary
reinforcer that made the new training method so powerful, and a leap ahead
of any other training technology.  It was Keller and Marian who coined the
term "bridging stimulus," which was later shortened by trainers to the
simple word "bridge."

The Brelands moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1950.  Their business
expanded, and they trained hundreds of animals for fairs and tourist
attractions nationwide.  Marian and Keller opened the I.Q. ZOO in 1954, and
it soon became a popular tourist attraction.  The Breland animals were
featured in Time, Life, The Reader's Digest, the Wall Street Journal, and
many other publications.  Many famous people, including such notables as
Walt Disney and Marlin Perkins came to Hot Springs to learn from Marian.

 By the late 1950's, Marian and Keller had an impressive set of firsts.  To
name a few: the first commercial enterprise (ABE) using operant conditioning
('43); first school for teaching applied operant conditioning, including the
first instruction manual ('47-48); first dolphin and bird shows using
operant conditioning ('55); first automated commercial animal training
facility ('51); first automated (coin-operated) animal show ('53); longest
running TV commercial (Buck Bunny, '54 - ran 20 yrs); and the list goes on.
Their animals performed at virtually every large county and state fair in
the nation. Many of their clients were the theme parks and tourist
attractions across the country, and many international companies.

Marian did not neglect her call to community and humanitarian duty.  She
served on numerous civic boards and committees, including the Chamber of
Commerce.  Marian served as a Girl Scout Leader for nine years, and as
President of the local PTA.  She was instrumental in the founding of
Abilities Unlimited, a group devoted to aiding the physically handicapped to
independence.  She was instrumental in starting and directing a number of
mental health organizations.  Marian wrote one of the earliest manuals for
instructing institutional ward personnel on the teaching of the
developmentally disabled.  Marian served on many committees serving the
needs of the retarded and autistic.

The Brelands trained domestic animals, such as chickens, rabbits, and ducks,
cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, and many others.  They also trained
wild animals, such as raccoons, dolphins, whales, parrots, and many others
kinds of birds and mammals.  By the end of the 1950's, the Brelands probably
had trained more animals and more kinds of animals than any other living
animal trainers.  It might be said, truthfully, that modern scientific
animal training had its roots in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Psychologists,
animal trainers, and behaviorists came to Hot Springs from all over the
world to visit Marian and Keller.  Keller and Marian trained many animal
trainers who later moved on to other places, including Busch Gardens and Sea
World.  Marian participated in the spread of the newest methods of humane
animal training.

Keller Breland passed away in 1965.  Marian continued on as President of ABE
and Bob Bailey joined the company and became General Manager.  Bob and
Marian were married in the '70's, bringing together her family of three
children, and Bob's three sets of twins; as she often said, more kids than
the Brady Bunch.

Marian was the chief scientist for ABE's government work, most of which is
still classified.  ABE technicians trained many kinds of animals, dogs,
cats, dolphins, gulls, ravens, pigeons, and many more, to travel long
distances and perform complex tasks.  All of these government projects began
in Hot Springs, and much of the preliminary training was conducted in the
downtown area.  The Hot Springs community was so accustomed to the strange
behavior of ABE trainers that no one thought anything of it.  Everyone
assumed that the training was for the familiar I.Q. ZOO, not realizing that
the I.Q. ZOO was actually a very small part of ABE.  Advanced training of
these animals took place in many locations, far from Hot Springs.

Marian had begun her doctorate program under Skinner in the late '30's.  She
dropped graduate school in 1943, lacking only her dissertation.  In the late
1960's Marian returned to the university, this time at the University of
Arkansas.  In 1978, Marian received her Ph.D., about 40 years after she
started in Minnesota.  Marian and Keller, and, later, Marian and Bob, were
participants in many scientific and academic seminars, colloquia, and
conventions.  They presented papers, and served as discussants.  They served
as consultants and advisors to many organizations around the world.

Marian was proud of her early friendship with Fred Skinner, and many others
who become prominent behaviorists in the decades to come.  Marian enjoyed
meeting with Skinner at various psychology meetings.  A prized possession of
Marian's was the final galley proof of Skinner's monumental book, THE
BEHAVIOR OF ORGANISMS, given to her and autographed by Skinner.  Also, as a
sign of his affection, and respect, for her, he invited Marian and Bob to
his hotel room where he gave them a preview of his final "skit" for the
Association for Behavior Analysis.  Skinner died shortly after.

In addition to her careers as student, businessperson, and scientist, Marian
was a teacher.  She taught at Henderson State University, rising to the rank
of full Professor.  Marian taught primarily advanced classes on human and
animal behavior.  She sometimes demonstrated to the students the principles
of operant conditioning by shaping the behavior of a chicken.  She retired
from Henderson in 1998, after almost 20 years in the classroom.

In 1996 Marian began a new teaching career.  She became active on the
Internet, offering advice on many of the active animal training lists.  She
and her husband, Bob, offered small classes in animal training, using common
barnyard chickens as behavioral models.  Beginning in 1997, Marian and Bob
expanded their teaching and traveled coast-to-coast, and even to Canada,
teaching mostly animal trainers.  They pulled a small trailer loaded with
their chickens and equipment.  The trips were long and arduous, and they
often traveled more than 6,000 miles and were on the road for two months or
more.  Their classes were an instant success.  In recent years, the Baileys
have reduced somewhat their cross-country travels and teach primarily in Hot
Springs.  However, Marian attracted hundreds of students to Hot Springs.
Students came from all over the globe to attend Marian's lectures and to
train the chickens.  The Baileys were preparing for teaching engagements on
the US West Coast and in Canada when Marian was hospitalized.  Marian was
active right up to the end.