NETTIE BULLIS

IN MEMORY OF JEANETTE AURELIA (NETTIE) BULLIS
March 23, 1893 - October 1, 1979

She titled her 1911 Macedon High School valedictory address, "Life Like Every Other Blessing Derives Its Value From Its Use." Nettie Bullis lived by the message she delivered that day.

After briefly attending Cornell University and teaching school in Marion, New York, Nettie found work as a bookkeeper at Gleason Works in Rochester. She held that position for about ten years and was seriously contemplating a change to work for the Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railroad Company, headquartered in Rochester. However, an opportunity for advancement within Gleason Works developed and she decided to remain there. She continued her diligent climb up the corporate ladder and at the time of her retirement was Assistant Secretary of Gleason Works.

She became a wealthy woman through careful planning, saving, and wise investments, and spent little of what she accumulated. Nettie generously shared this wealth during her lifetime with a long list of recipients. This sharing goes on after her death, with the number of individuals and organizations benefiting from her generosity growing annually.

Nettie practiced what she "preached" in her 1911 valedictory address. She added great value to her life by using it.

How do we express our appreciation for that life? By saying simply and sincerely, "Thank you, Nettie."

That is exactly what Palmyra-Macedon Central School District did on June 26, 2008 when they named Nettie a "Graduate of Distinction." The certificate is currently displayed here in the Bullis Room.