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Longtime JCC Foundation board member Lawrence L. Bullen's service recognized
For his commitment and service, Jackson Community College is pleased to announce that Lawrence L. Bullen has been named the first-ever director emeritus for the Jackson Community College Foundation Board of Directors.
Bullen, a longtime Jackson-area attorney, served two terms as a director and treasurer of the Jackson Community College Foundation. Born and raised in Jackson, he attended Jackson Junior College after graduating from Jackson High, and earned his Associate in Arts degree in 1949, then earned his bachelor’s and juris doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan. He taught business law as an adjunct instructor at Jackson Junior College from 1957-60. In the 1960s, Bullen served as chief of operations for the committee that organized the election establishing Jackson Community College as a countywide institution and obtaining countywide millage support.
“Few individuals, if any, have had a longer relationship with the JCC,” said Mitchell Blonde, executive director of the JCC Foundation and director of philanthropy and planned giving. “Larry has given gifts of time, talent and treasure to the College and Foundation for literally decades. It is a fitting tribute for an individual who has such passion for education and the well-being of our service area.”
Bullen was pleased with the recognition and cites the importance of the community college.
“I think it (JCC) is a very important asset to the community, to provide continuing education for people who need re-training, or education of young people for both going on in the academic world or to be prepared for a livelihood,” Bullen said.
After earning his law degree from Michigan, Bullen was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1954 and served till 1956, with his principal assignment being the 39th Signal Battalion in Germany. He acted as administrator for the Courts & Board Section, handling all administrative aspects of courts martial and investigative boards for the Battalion.
Bullen passed the Michigan Bar Exam in 1954 and was admitted to practice on Dec. 24, 1954. Following his military service, in 1956 he joined the Jackson law firm of Rosenburg & Painter as an associate. He continued with this firm until October 1999, when members of that firm, then known as Bullen, Moilanen, Klaasen & Swan, P.C., became affiliated with Marcoux, Allen law firm and continues to practice law with this firm. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan; member and past president of the Jackson County Bar Association; and a fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, all Michigan state courts and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.
He serves as chairman and trustee of the Weatherwax Foundation, a major funding source of local and regional charitable and educational endeavors. He also serves as trustee of the Alvin J. Perry Educational Trust.
In the community, he has served as a board member or officer of several local agencies: Family Service & Children’s Aid of Jackson, Foote Hospital Board of Managers, Jackson Hospital Finance Authority, Hospice of Jackson, Inc., Jackson Symphony Orchestra Association, Jackson Med Center, Inc., Beth Moser Mental Health Clinic, Jackson Hillsdale Community Mental Health Board, and member of the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on many occasions, serving as junior and senior warden of the parish.
Bullen has received numerous honors. In 1973, he received a Distinguished Service Award for Medical Legal Service from the Jackson County Medical Society. He received JCC’s Distinguished Service Award in 1998, the Jackson Symphony Orchestra’s Golden Baton Award in 2000 for outstanding commitment to the arts and the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Great Sauk Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 2000. He was recognized as a 50-year member by the State Bar of Michigan in 2004, and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Spring Arbor University in 2006.
