Bob Bullock Collection To Open At Baylor University
Official Lieutenant Governor portrait of Bob Bullock taken in the Senate chamber. Photo courtesy of the Bob Bullock Collection, Baylor Collections of Political Materials. Baylor University. Waco, Texas.
Researchers and the public will get their first look at the papers of the late Texas statesman and Baylor University law graduate Bob Bullock, when the Bullock Archive opens July 12 in the Baylor Collections of Political Materials (BCPM).
An opening exhibit will be on display in the Anding Traveling Exhibits Gallery in Baylor's newly opened Mayborn Museum Complex until Oct. 1, when it will be moved to the BCPM in the Poage Legislative Library on the Baylor campus. Formal opening festivities for the Bullock Collection will be held on July 10 at the Mayborn complex, where an invitation-only reception and dinner for Bullock's family, friends and other dignitaries will take place.
Hailed as one of the most influential Texas politicians in modern history, the late lieutenant governor began depositing his Texas state papers, campaign materials and personal papers in the BCPM in 1993.
"The Bullock Collection ranges from 1917-2003 with the bulk spanning 1972-99 and represents 40 years of political service and a life dedicated to the state of Texas," said Benna Ball, the Bullock Archive project director who helped process nearly 1,150 linear feet of materials.
Born in Hillsboro, Texas, on July 10, 1929, Bullock began his political career in 1956, when he represented Hill County in the Texas House of Representatives while pursuing a law degree at Baylor. His political career went on to include assistant attorney general from 1967-68, aide to Gov. Preston Smith from 1969-71, secretary of state from 1971-72, comptroller of public accounts from 1975-90 and lieutenant governor of Texas from 1991-99.
The majority of the Bullock Collection focuses on Bullock's service during his 16 years as comptroller and lieutenant governor and consists of correspondence, public documents, news clippings and notebooks. Bullock's campaign materials are in the form of memorabilia, correspondence, endorsements, press releases, news clippings, notebooks, polls, opponents and speeches.
Other formats of materials in the collection include cassette tapes, microfilm, video, CD-ROM, political cartoons and tape drives. The personal section containing numerous awards, certificates, plaques, photographs, correspondence, personal memorabilia, notebooks and scrapbooks rounds out the life of a lifelong politician and Texas statesman.
"The Bullock Collection serves as a legacy to the State of Texas. Bob Bullock, a political legend, was often quoted as saying, 'Only death will end my love affair with Texas.' In truth, this collection and the countless ways in which it can teach and explain Texas politics and public policy in the last quarter of the 20th century will ensure that Bullock's love affair with Texas lives on," Ball said.
The Baylor Collections of Political Materials is part of Baylor University Libraries, functioning as a research facility which collects congressional records and personal papers related to the political history of Central Texas. It was established in 1979 in honor of Congressman W.R. Poage, Baylor alumnus and retired public official whose career spanned more than 50 years.
In addition to the Bullock Collection, the BCPM currently houses the papers of 12 former members of Congress, six Texas legislators, five judges, an editorial cartoon collection, extremist organizations' materials and records of the McLennan County Democratic Party. In addition, the BCPM contains a map collection, an extensive campaign materials collection, and an 8,000-volume book collection focusing on Congress, political history and areas of public policy.
For more information, visit the Baylor Collections of Political Materials web site or contact Ball at (254) 710-3767 or Benna_Ball@baylor.edu
and Ben Rogers, director of political materials, at (254) 710-3540 or Ben_Rogers@baylor.edu.