William George Pullen

Dr. William George Pullen, age 75, of Rome, died January 31, 2014, of a sudden stroke. He was born in Blakely, GA on November 8, 1938, son of the late Clarence Walthall Pullen and Carrie Frances Terry Pullen. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Elizabeth P. Hampton (Biloxi, MS), his brother, Clarence W. Pullen, Jr. (Pensacola, FL), and his sister, Margaret P. Hall (Powder Springs, GA).

He graduated from LaGrange College. In 1963 he received his Bachelor of Divinity Degree from Duke University and thereafter served for several years as a Methodist minister in the South Georgia Conference. His commitment to fighting social injustice and oppression led to his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in southwest Georgia during this time. He received a Master’s degree in history from Florida State University and, in 1971, his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

George was a charter member of the faculty of Floyd Junior College (now Georgia Highlands College) in Rome, joining the institution in 1970. He chaired the Division of Social Sciences from 1971 – 1993 and in 1994 became Chair of the Division of Extended Learning. In this position he oversaw the beginning of Floyd College Television, which is now GHTV. He retired in 1997 and was named Professor Emeritus of History. In his academic career he authored a book and articles on U.S. economic policy and other topics, including a history of the City of Rome in the on-line New Georgia Encyclopedia.

In 1980 George ran successfully for the Rome City Commission, on which he served for 23 years. He served as Chairman of the Commission (now Mayor) from 1992-1998; in that role he was instrumental in the planning and construction of Rome’s 1986 downtown Streetscape and helped lead the effort for the new building for the Rome-Floyd County Library in the late 1980s. While on the City Commission, George served for a number of years on the Board of the Georgia Municipal Association.

One of George’s proudest achievements as Commission Chair was beginning an exchange program for middle school students with the town of Ueki (now Kumamoto City) in Japan. He and his wife Ann traveled to Japan several times with student groups and last October were privileged to represent Rome (as a partner city) at Kumamoto City’s Asia-Pacific Summit. A delegation of students from Kumamoto City will arrive in Rome in March.

As a result of Rome’s relationship with Ueki, George was a principal founder of the Rome-Floyd International Association, which sponsors the yearly International Festival at Bridgepoint plaza and coordinates the student exchange. He has served as Chair since the Association’s beginning.

George has served on a number of other civic boards as well, including the Rome-Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth, of which he was President in 2009 and has served as Treasurer since 2011. He and Ann were co-Presidents of the Rome Area Heritage Foundation 2004-2006. He also served on the Rome-Floyd County Library Board, the Rome-Floyd Development Authority, Board of the Rome Area Council for the Arts, and a long-time member of Rome Rotary. He was a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Last year he (along with his wife Ann) received the Rome Council of Volunteer Administrators’ Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Yet another of George’s many activities in Rome was his ownership of Pullen’s Ordinary Bicycles on Broad Street, which he launched in 1982 with his son, Clay and daughter Mary George (Madge).

George was a committed Democrat and served as Chair of the Floyd County Democratic Party from 2010-2012. His belief in putting his passion for social justice into action led to runs for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1983 in a special election following the death of Congressman Larry McDonald; he also ran for the Georgia State Senate in 2004. He was proud to have been named (with Ann) as Floyd County Democrat of the Year in 2013.

An avid traveler, he held Fulbright Summer Study Grants to study in China and India. In recent years, he and Ann hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and they traveled with grandchildren to Italy, Ireland and France.

He cared deeply not only about the City of Rome, but also his family’s hometown of Shellman, GA, and the Shellman United Methodist Church, where he continued to preach from time to time.

Perhaps no quote better sums up George’s beliefs and shaped his actions better than that from Micah 6:8: “…and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” Although George had many interests and causes that occupied much of his time and effort, his family was the most important part of his life. His favorite times were when he, Ann, and his beloved children and grandchildren could be together. Nothing fancy was required, just togetherness.

George is survived by his wife, Dr. Ann Wells Pullen; his son Clay Pullen and his partner Elizabeth Markowitz (Atlanta); daughter Mary George P. Livesay and her husband Dr. Christopher Livesay (Memphis, TN); his step-son James Ellis and his wife Laura (St. Charles, MO); grandchildren Alexandra Livesay (Washington, D.C.), Charlotte and Barret Livesay (Memphis), Shelby and Jacob Pullen (Atlanta), Ryan, Andrea and Krista Ellis (St. Charles, MO). Other survivors include his sister Carolyn P. Carter and her husband Louie (Tallahassee), brother-in-law Jack D. Hall (Powder Springs), a number of nieces and nephews and his children’s mother, June Pullen Weis (Atlanta).

The family received visitors at Daniel’s Funeral Home on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. A memorial service was held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Wednesday, February 5, at 11 AM with Rev. John Herring, Rev. Janice Bracken Wright, and Rev. Roger Ard officiating, followed by a reception in the church’s Daniel Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests donations to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 101 E. Fourth Ave., Rome, GA, 30161; The Rome-Floyd Commission on Children and Youth, P. O. Box 244. Rome, GA 30162-0244, Women of WORTH, 1513 Dean St., Rome, GA, 30161, or Georgia Highlands College Office of Advancement 3175 Cedartown Hwy, Rome, GA. 30161.