Gerald P. Pulley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gerald Paul Pulley | |
 Pulley (foreground with camera) as photographer in China, 1949
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| Born | October 25, 1922 King City, MO |
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| Residence | Virginia Beach, VA |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Government Photographer |
| Known for | Photography |
| Board member of | National Association of Naval Photography (former) |
| Spouse | Mary Virginia Pulley |
Gerald P. Pulley (born October 25, 1922 in King City, Missouri) is an American photographer who is noted for his 30 years of active duty service in the United States Navy, as well as 11 additional years of service to the Department of Defense and Goddard Space Flight Center.
[edit] Career
Pulley enlisted as a Seaman Apprentice in November 1940, was later selected as the only photographer into the LDO program, and was commissioned as an Ensign on July 22, 1952.
Pulley's Navy career included serving under Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, during the U.S. classified South Seas exploration aboard the USS Concord from September 5, 1943 through November 24, 1943. [1] , serving in China aboard the USS Princeton as part of the last official task force to close out the military activities in that area, various missions during World War II [2] , Korean War and Vietnam conflict, and serving as the Officer in Charge of the Fleet Air Photographic Laboratory in Jacksonville, Florida, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Pulley's group was responsible for the development of the aerial reconnaissance surveillance photographs taken over Cuba under the code name Blue Moon. [3] Pulley also served as the Military White House Photographer to President Harry S. Truman following the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During the famous “Whistlestop” tour of 1948, Pulley followed the President’s campaign, covering 32,000 miles in 33 days. Following Truman’s reelection, Pulley left his position with the White House but returned in January 1952 to document the meeting between President Truman and Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard the USS Williamsburg. His "Oral History Interview" can be viewed through the Harry S. Truman Library website.
He is regarded as the unofficial “Chief Navy Photographic Historian” and given the title, “Mr. Navy Photographer” [4] by his peers. He is the former President and founder of the "National Association of Naval Photography." He is also an active member of the Masonic Lodge (for almost 60 years) and often gives presentations to various Masonic Lodges on his days at the White House with President Truman who had been a Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge in Missouri.
Pulley's work is listed in Eyes of the Navy: A History of Naval Photography by George Carroll, LCDR, USN(Ret)
[edit] Personal life
Pulley currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife, Mary Virginia Pulley, whom he married on January 6, 1943. They have three children and four grandchildren.
[edit] References
- ^ Giberson, Art (2000). Eyes of the Fleet, A History of Naval Photography. Wind Canyon Books, Inc., page 73 (Admiral Byrd's Antarctic Expedition and South Seas exploration). ISBN 1891118382.
- ^ Giberson, Art (2000). Eyes of the Fleet, A History of Naval Photography. Wind Canyon Books, Inc., acknowledgments; pages 57 (W.W.II). ISBN 978-1891118388.
- ^ Giberson, Art (2000). Eyes of the Fleet, A History of Naval Photography. Wind Canyon Books, Inc., 105-107 (former White House Navy Photographer and discussion of Pulley's involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis developing the film analyzing the latest Cuban overflight reconnaissance flights, under the code name Blue Moon).
- ^ Giberson, Art (2000). Eyes of the Fleet, A History of Naval Photography. Wind Canyon Books, Inc., page 112 (Joint Chief Photographer's Roundup 1984).
