"Among the graduates in the 1911 class of Macedon High School was Nettie Aurelia Bullis, daughter of Abraham R. Bullis. Her valedictory was entitled, "Life Like Every Other Blessing Derives Its Value from Its Use." Nettie Bullis lived by the message she delivered at her commencement.
"Nettie enrolled and attended Cornell University but never completed her degree, a fact she often alluded to with regret. After a relatively short stay, whether from homesickness or some other reason, she returned home to Macedon. A well-disciplined woman, talented and ambitious, Nettie found work as a bookkeeper at the 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 until advancement within the Gleason Works presented itself and she decided to remain there. She continued her diligent climb up the corporate ladder and became the first woman treasurer of the Gleason Works.
"Miss Bullis was described as tall and willowy, with beautiful dark eyes and brown hair. She was stately and ladylike, always wearing a hat and gloves. Nettie was quiet but friendly in her business setting, enjoying the friendship of the other employees but holding them at arm's length when they shyly suggested visiting her at her home in Macedon. Perhaps the rundown appearance of the cobblestone house and Charles' growing reclusive lifestyle made Nettie reluctant to extend any hospitality. This and her own ambition kept her quite aloof but ready to help any employee who needed her. A former Gleason Works employee remembered the many kindnesses and good advice Miss Bullis Extended to the young and inexperienced. She was never too busy to lend a helping hand and was more than willing to share her expertise with the uninitiated.
"Until after World War II, Nettie Bullis commuted to her work in Rochester with another Gleason employee from Macedon. One commuter remembers Nettie Bullis as she appeared early each morning; in summer picking her way through Charlie's waves of flowers, and lighting her way with a flashlight through the unbroken snow in winter. Her hat and gloves were in place and the ever-present briefcase held smartly in her hand. Her style of dress was plain and businesslike with few changes over the years. On the evening drive home, a short stop would be made at the grocery store so that Nettie could buy her simple supper, usually two slices of bologna, sometimes bread, and always a pint bottle of milk.
"The pressures of her responsible position at Gleason Works did not hamper Nettie Bullis' love of reading and the stock market. Through careful planning, saving, and wise investments she became a wealthy woman, spending little of what she accumulated. After World War II and the death of her mother in 1954 Nettie spent more of her time in Rochester, living in the modest but pleasant apartment she kept on Park Avenue. The cobblestone house became increasingly run down during this period and brother Charles less approachable about the repair and upkeep of the house. Nettie knew that she and her bother were aging and that upon their deaths, the Bullis House would have run out of Bullis' to live in it. The valuable library which filled three rooms of the house was of special concern to Nettie and she wanted it to be preserved, perhaps with the notion that others would get to know the Bullis family through their choice of books.
"When Charles Rogers Bullis died in 1974, Nettie tried to make intelligent decisions about her family home and the fortune she had amassed. After consulting with her attorney, she decided to leave the Bullis House and acreage to the Town of Macedon. The books would be housed in a special room in Macedon Library, which she paid to have built and endowed. A park would be established on land north of the Bullis House and she hoped the town would use the house for town offices.
"Miss Bullis designated a substantial amount of money for the education of Macedon students. The most generous is a fund which enables each graduate of Palmyra-Macedon High School who proves himself capable of earning at least a C average after one semester of college, the opportunity to receive a Bullis Scholarship. This amounts to about two hundred dollars per student and is renewable each year for four years. Other educational endowments include the Chair in Mathematics at Cornell University in honor of her father, a scholarship at RIT for engineering students, and a medical school grant to honor her grandfather. All of these scholarships are given after a student has shown aptitude and achievement.
"The Bullis Trust Fund is another example of Nettie Bullis' generosity. This fund, which is guided by a Macedon committee of King's Daughters, is provided to help individuals cope with unforeseen financial emergencies. Children and the elderly have been the most frequent recipients of the Bullis Trust Fund.
"In the late 1970's Nettie Bullis' health began to fail. She knew she did not have the strength or time to restore the cobblestone house in her lifetime. Sensing that the time was near when no Bullis would live in the house, she designated money to be used for its restoration. As her health continued to deteriorate it was obvious that she and her nurses could not remain in the house with such primitive facilities. By special permission from the Town of Macedon, a modern mobile home was brought in and parked on the north lawn of the house. It was placed so that Nettie could look out at the beloved Bullis House until she, the last Macedon Bullis, died on October 1, 1979."
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