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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN RECOGNITION OF ALBERT N. BULLOCK, POSTHUMOUSLY
______
HON. JACKIE SPEIER
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Albert N. Bullock ``Al''
who passed away at the age of 96 on August 16, 2019 in Daly City after
a remarkable life. Al was an unflappable photographer who filmed the
attack on Pearl Harbor and covered many events that shaped the Bay
Area, including the Patti Hearst kidnapping, the assassinations of
Mayor Moscone and Harvey Milk and the Jonestown mass murder where I met
him. He will always have a special place in my heart.
Al was born in Utica, New York on March 5, 1923. He joined the U.S.
Navy at age 17 which changed his life. His first job was washing
airplanes and working in a photo lab where he discovered his talent and
love for taking pictures. When a place in the Navy photography school
opened, he was picked and received what he called the best education
possible in photography, motion pictures and navigation. He graduated
as a second class photographer's mate and was immediately hired by the
government. He was shipped to Pearl Harbor and as fate would have it,
the year was 1941. On December 7th, Al was on Ford Island and as the
Japanese were dropping bombs right on top of him, he filmed the carnage
with a hand-cranked 16mm camera. Ford Island was the strategic center
of operations for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, the location of
Battleship Row. Assigned as a flag cameraman on the USS Santa Fe, he
spent the entire war moving from one campaign to the next. In March
1945, he shot historic photos and footage of the burning and listing
USS Franklin 50 miles off the coast of Japan. The USS Santa Fe rescued
many sailors and helped put out the fires on the Franklin. Al was 22.
In 1950, Al moved to San Mateo in my Congressional District and held
a variety of jobs selling China and silverware, taking photos and
filming car races. One day in the 60s, he was filming a race that ended
in a fiery crash. Roger Grimsby, an anchor and the news director at
KGO-TV, watched him as he kept filming. He approached Al asking, ``You
have any blood in your veins?'' He bought the footage for $25 and used
it on the air that day. Thus began Al's pursuit to become a cameraman
for KGO. In 1962, Grimsby, known as ``Grim Grimsby'' for his gruff no-
nonsense delivery of the news, finally relented and hired him. Al
stayed at KGO for 30 years covering the John F. Kennedy assassination,
the Vietnam War, the birth of the free speech movement, the kidnapping
of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, and the Loma Prieta earthquake.
He also covered a story that shaped my life and cemented my
commitment to public service. Al flew to Guyana with my mentor and boss
Congressman Ryan who took a delegation there to investigate the commune
Jim Jones had built in Jonestown. Relatives and friends of Jones'
followers suspected that he was holding them against their will. They
were right and some 40 followers were ready to defect with our
delegation. What unfolded was one of the deadliest mass murders in
history. Congressman Ryan was assassinated on the airstrip in Port
Kaituma, shot 45 times. Three journalists and one defector were shot
dead. I was shot five times, left for dead but survived. In the
commune, more than 900 followers were murdered with cyanide-laced Kool-
Aid. Al was on a plane back to the Bay Area. Upon hearing the news he
immediately returned to Guyana to cover the aftermath. Just nine days
later, back in San Francisco, Al was sent to cover the assassinations
of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. He witnessed and
captured one of the most tumultuous and trying periods in Bay Area
history.
Al's superb work was recognized with many awards including the
California Press Photographer of the Year and the prestigious Silver
Circle of the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences in 2003.
Al Bullock is preceded in death by his ex-wife Edythe and survived by
their three children, Candace, Bob and Georgette, their six
grandchildren, Stephanie, Lindsey, Sean, Erin, Matthew, and four great-
grandchildren, Kelly, Katie, Tyler and Adam.
Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to
honor Albert N. Bullock who served our country and led by example. He
was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, a
mentor to many, Mr. KGO to his colleagues, and one of a kind. He will
be deeply missed.
____________________