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Pulliam Family Collection, 1907-1978

NAU.MS.225, NAU.PH.83.2.1-61

Biographical Note

C.T. (Clarence Thomas) Pulliam, also known as Maggie, was born in Flagstaff in April 1895. The son of T.E. (Thomas) Pulliam, he spent most of his adult life in Flagstaff.

T.E. Pulliam came to Flagstaff in the 1880s and worked on a survey of the Mineral Belt Railroad and at the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company mill. He became county recorder, clerk of the board of supervisors, and deputy sheriff. T.E. became the first sheriff of Flagstaff after Arizona became a state in 1912. He also owned a real estate and insurance business, the T. E. Pulliam Agency. T. E. Pulliam died in 1926.

C.T. Pulliam attended Emerson Elementary School and high school at Northern Arizona Normal School. He began his college career at the University of Arizona, studying law; however, his education was interrupted by the United States' entrance into World War I.

C.T. entered the Army in World War I and was assigned to the aviation branch, which was then part of the Signal Corp. He was a member of an observation balloon company for two years, serving one of those years on the front lines in France. He was discharged at the end of the war as a corporal.

With the organization of the National Guard in Flagstaff in 1920, C. T. became the recruiting office for Battery A of the field artillery unit with the rank of lieutenant. Battery A later became Battery D. In 1921 C.T. was appointed captain and put in command of the unit. In 1924 he was transferred to the National Guard Reserve. He was placed in command of Company I in 1930, a position he retained until the outbreak of World War II.

Company I of the National Guard Reserve was called to active duty in 1940 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. C.T. attended the Advanced Class - Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia from October 1940 to January 1941. In late December, 1941, C.T. was transferred to the Air Force at San Antonio Texas before Company I went overseas. In August 1943, he went to England with a mobile repair unit as a staff training officer. He remained in England for a year and was then transferred to the continent where he worked in France, Belgium, and Germany. He was transferred back to the Army in 1945 and returned to the United States in November of that year.

In December 1919, C.T. began his non-military work as City Clerk of Flagstaff. He married Loretta Bondesson of Yuma, whom he met at NANS, on June 18, 1923. They had two children, Louella and Clarence, Jr.

C.T. was member of the Masonic Lodge, Shrine, the Elks Club (serving as treasurer for many years), the Kiwanis Club, the Junior Chamber of Commerce and many other organizations. He served as a recruiter for the Town of Flagstaff baseball team in 1926 and 1936. He was a charter member of the American Legion and VFW. Loretta was involved in the cultural functions at Arizona State College and Northern Arizona University. Both were avid golfers.

C.T. Pulliam died in 1964, Loretta followed him in 1987.

Scope and Content Note

The Pulliam Collection contains papers, correspondence, financial documents, publications,articles, and phtographs belonging to the C. T. Pulliam family. C. T. Pulliam was a respected resident of Flagstaff, Arizona, city clerk, and career National Guardsman. The collection also contains material related to his wife, Loretta Bondesson, daughter Louella, son Clarence, Jr., and father T. E. Pulliam.

The bulk of the collection consists of C.T. Pulliam's military papers and correspondence. This material relates to the activities of the Arizona National Guard in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, from the perspective of a participant. The rest of the material is of interest in describing Pulliam Family and City of Flagstaff events.

Fifty-eight photographs document the opening dedication of the Flagstaff Municipal Airport at Koch Field in 1928, sledding near Emerson School and a trip to the Hopi Mesas. The collection also includes many portraits of unidentified people.

Organization

Restrictions

Restrictions

No restrictions on access to and use of the Pulliam Family collection in the Miriam Lemont Reading Room.

Copyright

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for Northern Arizona University, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Related Material

Access Points

Administrative Information

Credit Line

Pulliam Family Collection, NAU.MS.225 and NAU.PH.83.2.1-61, Cline Library, Special Collections and Archives Dept.

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