Merrill K. Pulliam ’34

Businessman and life trustee Merrill Pulliam ’34 died on June 1. He was 101.
Pulliam studied economics and business at Cornell College, and was a member of Delta Phi Rho. During the worst years of the Great Depression he got a job as a bookkeeper, which led to a position as a buyer for the E.W. Kneip meatpacking company. He spent 30 years with the company, serving as its president and chairman of the board for 11 years before retiring in 1976. He then served seven years as assistant to the president of the American Meat Institute.
Pulliam served on the Cornell Board of Trustees from 1975-1984. After his final term he was named a life trustee. He was named the Man of the Year for 1975 in Forest Park, Ill., and was deeply involved with volunteer and civic organizations. He volunteered more than 1,600 hours at Hinsdale Hospital, and in 2004 was honored for his dedication. Pulliam is survived by two sons, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.