“All of my good stories involve Clemson,” said Anne Bull. The daughter of a 1941 Clemson graduate, Bull said Clemson was in her blood, so when it was time for her to go to college, Clemson was just a natural fit.
“It was such a great atmosphere,” she said. “Those were some of the best days of my life.”
Bull graduated in 1974 with a bachelor’s in elementary education and in 1975, she earned her master’s in elementary education while also working for the School District of Oconee County. She helped develop and implement Oconee County’s developmental therapy program. Bull stayed with the district for three years, until her husband, Clemson alumnus Dennis Bull, had to move to Lexington for his job.
Bull got a job with Lexington County School District #1, where she worked for the next 29 years. During her time with Lexington, she helped design and establish the gifted program curriculum. She was named a District Honor Roll Teacher and was named Teacher of the Year for the district in 2000-2001.
After retiring from Lexington in 2011, Bull moved into higher education, working at the University of South Carolina as a supervisor for student interns majoring in education during their senior year.
She also had the opportunity to make an impact in education at the state level. She was invited to participate in the Governor’s Education Forum from 2012-2014, and in 2014, Gov. Nikki Haley appointed her to the Education Oversight Committee. In 2015, she was also appointed to the South Carolina Public Charter School Board.
Bull has also made a big impact on Clemson. She is a member of IPTAY, active in the Lexington County Clemson Club, a member of the Clemson Advocates program and a member of the Second Century Club, a group of Clemson alumni in the Midlands who hold luncheon events several times a year. She also served a five-year term on the Board of Visitors — and continues to participate since Dennis is now serving on that board — and she has been a member of the Friends of the Libraries board of directors since 2018.
Bull said the library was an important part of her academic experience at Clemson.
“I lived at the library,” she said. “I couldn’t study in my dorm room, so I would go to the library for all of my studying and research.”
Since joining the Friends of the Libraries board, Bull said she has learned so much about how the Libraries have evolved to meet the needs of today’s students.
“It has been a great experience for me to see how much the library has changed and how much it is used now,” she said. “I figured with everyone having their own computers now, that people wouldn’t need to use the library as much for research, but that is not the case at all. Library services have expanded tremendously over the years, especially in the areas of technology and multi-media. I wish we had the library we have now back when I was a student.”
Bull said she wants to support the Libraries because it touches every student.
“Regardless of your major, everybody at Clemson goes through the library at some point. Everybody who graduates from Clemson walks through the doors of that library,” she said. “That was an overwhelming realization for me, and I believe that everybody should support the Libraries because all students can benefit from it.”
In addition to her active support of Clemson, Bull is also an active member of her community. She is a member of Lexington Baptist Church, past president of the Iris Garden Club and former education chair for the Lexington Junior Women’s Club.
She and Dennis have two grown children — both Clemson alumni — and two grandsons, whom she is hopeful will carry on the family tradition of attending Clemson.