More Than a Degree: How One LSU Experience Became a Family Legacy

When Salem Bullard arrived on LSU's campus in 1959, he knew almost nothing about Louisiana. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native had never visited the state. He didn't know anyone there. In fact, the first time he set foot on LSU's campus was the first time he had ever been to Louisiana.

Yet one decision to travel more than 1,000 miles from home to study mechanical engineering would shape the rest of his life.

More than six decades later, Bullard, a 1963 LSU Mechanical Engineering graduate, is ensuring that future students have the same opportunities that transformed his own life. Through the newly established Bullard Family Scholarship, he and his family have created an endowed scholarship that will support generations of LSU Mechanical Engineering students.

The scholarship follows another significant gift Bullard made in 2022—an endowed capstone design fund honoring his close friend and fellow LSU Engineering graduate Isby Schexnayder.

Together, the two endowments tell the story of a man whose LSU experience left a lasting impression, and whose gratitude continues to create opportunities for others.

Choosing LSU

Bullard's journey to Baton Rouge began with a desire for adventure.

"I was looking for an 'away' experience," Bullard said. "I wanted a new environment from where I was, and LSU fit the bill."

Initially interested in aeronautical engineering, Bullard's career plans shifted after conversations with the father of a young woman he was dating. An executive with Standard Oil, the father shared stories of searching for oil in Venezuela, sparking Bullard's interest in engineering careers with global possibilities.

As Bullard researched top engineering schools, LSU quickly rose to the top of his list.

"There were three schools I looked at for petroleum engineering—LSU, Texas and Oklahoma," he said. "LSU jumped out at me."

There was another factor, too.

In 1958, LSU had captured the National Football Championship.

"LSU football was the public face of the university," Bullard said. "My greatest sports memory was watching Billy Cannon, in person, run for the Heisman Trophy on Halloween night in 1959 in Tiger Stadium.”

Growing up in North Carolina, Bullard and many others regularly listened to LSU Football broadcasts on New Orleans radio after attending local Saturday games.

Soon, however, football became only a small part of what made LSU feel like home.

Finding Family Far from Home

Living first in Johnson Hall and later in South Stadium, Bullard was more than 700 miles from his family. He usually returned to North Carolina only once a year at Christmas.

Instead, Louisiana families welcomed him as one of their own.

One of his closest friends, Johnny Brewer, invited Bullard home so often that Brewer's mother became "Ma Brewer."

"She was my Louisiana mother for the rest of my life," Bullard said.

During his freshman year, Bullard also met Isby Schexnayder, a gifted mechanical engineering student from Jeanerette, Louisiana. The two remained close friends throughout college.

"My dad always told me, 'Find the smartest guy and carry his books,'" Bullard recalled. "The smartest guy in mechanical engineering was Isby Schexnayder, and that's exactly what I did."

Schexnayder would later become the inspiration for Bullard's first major gift to the LSU College of Engineering—the Endowed Capstone Design Fund established in his honor.

An Education That Opened Every Door

Bullard credits LSU's faculty with preparing him for a career that exceeded even his own expectations.

He remembers professors such as mechanical engineering department chair Lawrence “Dan” Daniel and longtime shop instructor Lawrence “Larry” Mann, who regularly invested in students far beyond the classroom.

When Bullard needed extra income, his academic advisor helped him secure a job grading papers in the structural engineering department. During Engineers Day, Mann supplied materials so students could build award-winning projects. Later, when Bullard accepted his first full-time job, Mann even helped him build a trailer so he could move his furniture to Texas.

"He really went the extra mile for me," Bullard said. "He didn't have to do any of that."

Bullard also immersed himself in campus life. As president of the LSU Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, he helped organize Engineers Day and even met with Gov. Jimmie Davis to secure state support for the event.

Those experiences, combined with LSU's rigorous engineering curriculum, paid off quickly.

"When I graduated, I interviewed with 10 companies and received nine job offers," Bullard said. "That's the strength of an LSU engineering degree."

A Career Built on an LSU Foundation

Bullard began his career with Union Carbide while earning an MBA at night before joining Burlington Industries, where he spent three decades as a senior mechanical engineer. His work took him around the globe as part of one of the largest textile companies in the world.

Following retirement, he entered commercial real estate development before joining D.H. Griffin Companies, where he continues to work today.

At 85 years old, Bullard still receives calls asking if he is interested in engineering projects.

"I've never been unemployed," he said with a smile. "It shows the power of a good engineering education. It sets you up for the rest of your life."

Honoring Friends, Celebrating Family

Giving back to LSU has become Bullard's way of expressing gratitude for the institution that shaped both his professional success and his personal life.

His first endowed gift honored Schexnayder, whose friendship remained meaningful long after graduation.

His newest gift honors another source of pride, his family.

The Bullard Family Scholarship was created with the support and involvement of his sons, Sam and Benjy; his daughter, Amanda, an LSU Law graduate; and his son-in-law, Rusty, who earned his doctorate from LSU.

"I wanted to set up a scholarship because there are students who need financial aid," Bullard said. "I also wanted to honor my family."

For Bullard, the scholarship reflects a legacy that now spans multiple generations of Tigers.

Giving Future Students the Same Opportunity

“ LSU shaped my entire professional career and broadened my whole outlook on life. It was life-changing for me. ”

Looking back, Bullard says LSU gave him much more than an engineering education.

It gave him lifelong friendships, mentors who invested in his success, experiences that broadened his perspective, and a career that carried him around the world.

"My impression of LSU was that everyone welcomed me," he said. "I had no connections in Louisiana, but students, faculty and families took me in. Everyone was friendly. LSU shaped my entire professional career and broadened my whole outlook on life. It was life-changing for me."

Now, through the Bullard Family Scholarship and the Isby Schexnayder Capstone Design Fund, Bullard is ensuring that future mechanical engineering students can build life-changing experiences of their own.

His legacy is measured not only by a successful engineering career, but by the opportunities he is creating for generations of LSU engineers yet to come.