One of our volunteers convincingly played the role of Nettie Bullis. In her flat straw hat, low-heeled shoes, open-weave gloves, and simple dress, she primly greeted guests, talked about the Bullis collection, and shared stories of her past. Her portrayal prompted guests to share their own memories of the Bullis family and the 1900s.
The refreshments also triggered thoughts of bygone days: bologna salad sandwiches (Miss Bullis sometimes ate bologna sandwiches her for supper), plain cookies, apple juice, water, and those dainty pastel-colored after-dinner mints that regularly showed up on reception tables in the last century.
Guests had two learning opportunities during the evening: first, a demonstration of how we repair some of the books in the collection; second, an exhibit presented by a representation of the Buffalo Soldiers of Rochester, showing photos and video of General John Lapham Bullis's experiences with the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts.
Volunteers spent four months planning and preparing for this event. We put a great deal of effort into keeping it simple, leaving us to conclude that simplicity is not always easy. We selected stationary with a small-lined black and maroon border for the invitations, used regular stamps for the mailing, and hand-delivered as many as possible. We chose a milk glass vase reminiscent of Miss Bullis's own collection to hold a small bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece on the reception table. And in the spirit of simplicity as well as the "waste not, want not" philosophy of the Bullis family, we did not cut the crusts off the bologna salad sandwiches. In fact, we even used the two heels of the loaf.
We like to think that Nettie Bullis would have approved of all this. And that she, too, would have had a good time.
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