Temple University Athletics
Black History Month Feature: My Great Grandfather
2.28.20 | Men's Soccer
Temple men's soccer assistant coach, Armante' Marshall shares his story of black greatness, giving us the story of his great grandfather.
There are a lot of public figures who have left lasting impressions on past and current generations, but when I think of someone who has impacted my life in particular, I can't help but think of my great grandfather, Roscoe Jack Bullard.
Born in 1888, he fathered 23 children and raised them all on his farm in Camilla, Georgia. A carpenter by trade, after the Great Depression, my Great Grandfather was able to purchase 430 acres of land (at three cents per acre), and was able to be a great provider for his family/community from the crops he grew on his land. I grew up hearing stories from my relatives of growing up in the Jim Crow south, and while there were struggles from being an African American male with a lot of land in south Georgia during those times, the family always felt safe once they were back on the farm.
Roscoe grew various vegetables and large crops of corn, cotton, cucumbers, peanuts, tobacco, and watermelon. He raised chickens, cows, goats, pigs and quail. He also harvested crop and livestock to help provide for his family, so my Grandmother and Roscoe's siblings never went hungry. All of his children woke up at "sun up" to tend the land for two hours every morning before breakfast and school. Once they returned from school, they tended the land for another two hours. Roscoe made a point to instill a strong work rate and education within the minds of all of his children. He was very big on education.
There were no neighborhood schools or bus services for black children in the community back then, so in 1941, he petitioned the Georgia Board of Education to allow him to construct and operate a public school on his property. In September of 1941, "The Bullard School" was officially opened. In 1950, the school was closed after the county began to provide education and bus services to the black students in the community. Out of his 23 children, 17 attended and graduated from prestigious Universities across the country. Four served in the military (including three who served in Vietnam).
Roscoe Jack Bullard is my hero and it is a privilege to be a part of his legacy that continues to live on today.
There are a lot of public figures who have left lasting impressions on past and current generations, but when I think of someone who has impacted my life in particular, I can't help but think of my great grandfather, Roscoe Jack Bullard.
Born in 1888, he fathered 23 children and raised them all on his farm in Camilla, Georgia. A carpenter by trade, after the Great Depression, my Great Grandfather was able to purchase 430 acres of land (at three cents per acre), and was able to be a great provider for his family/community from the crops he grew on his land. I grew up hearing stories from my relatives of growing up in the Jim Crow south, and while there were struggles from being an African American male with a lot of land in south Georgia during those times, the family always felt safe once they were back on the farm.
Roscoe grew various vegetables and large crops of corn, cotton, cucumbers, peanuts, tobacco, and watermelon. He raised chickens, cows, goats, pigs and quail. He also harvested crop and livestock to help provide for his family, so my Grandmother and Roscoe's siblings never went hungry. All of his children woke up at "sun up" to tend the land for two hours every morning before breakfast and school. Once they returned from school, they tended the land for another two hours. Roscoe made a point to instill a strong work rate and education within the minds of all of his children. He was very big on education.
There were no neighborhood schools or bus services for black children in the community back then, so in 1941, he petitioned the Georgia Board of Education to allow him to construct and operate a public school on his property. In September of 1941, "The Bullard School" was officially opened. In 1950, the school was closed after the county began to provide education and bus services to the black students in the community. Out of his 23 children, 17 attended and graduated from prestigious Universities across the country. Four served in the military (including three who served in Vietnam).
Roscoe Jack Bullard is my hero and it is a privilege to be a part of his legacy that continues to live on today.
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