03/31/2022
Closing out Women’s History Month with a feature on long-time A+ employee Willie Mae Bullard. In September 1993, Willie Mae Bullard joined A+ School Apparel as a sewer in the pants department. Almost 30 years later and still in the same department, one can only imagine how many back pockets and belt loops Mrs. Bullard tenderly affixed to A+ pants. When asked if she faced any challenges in her 30-year labor job, Mrs. Bullard countered assuredly: “No, nothing I can think of. We worked hard growing up. My father made us work hard. I’ve always been used to it and love working and growing.”
Born the 9th of 17 children (yes, you heard that right!), young Willie Mae and her siblings worked in the garden and picked cotton and pecans in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas area. She even hauled wood with all the brothers. In her family, girls did the same work as the boys, and Mrs. Bullard remains grateful for that gift and the strength God gave them to do the hard work. All 17 kids had 5 offspring, finding purpose in parenting and taking care of a family, and hence the reason Mrs. Bullard named her mother the most influential woman in her life. Loving and raising so many children, and maintaining a “sane mind” is the primary reason for her admiration and inspiration. Mrs. Bullard proudly raised a nurse, a truck driver, a photographer, a factory worker, with her youngest still in the U.S. Army. “I raised them to be self-sufficient, all on their own and thriving. I’ve done my job.” It took a bit of pause and head tilting before Mrs. Bullard could, when requested, provide advice to someone wanting to establish a work-life in the manufacturing world. It was pretty simple, “Make up your mind, be steadfast, and think before you speak. Things change so you have to be ready. Simply focus on yourself.”
Mrs. Willie Mae Bullard has been a gift to A+ for almost 30 years. While she claims her greatest quality has been her exceptional attendance, having hardly missed work in those 30 years, the people who have had the pleasure of managing or working near Willie Mae would say her greatest qualities are her positive, gracious attitude and contagious smile.
What dedication. What inspiration. What history.
Thank you, Willie Mae Bullard, for creating joy and balance for those around you.
