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Hands And Heart: Sharing Memories With Carl And Ruth Bull

photo by Photo Provided Ruth's home and kitchen were a haven for generations of love children and she taught Sunday school for close to fifty years. Seen here with her granddaughter, Ruth is proud to have passed on be kind to others to literally hundreds of children.

photo by Photo Provided Never without a project in his shop or in his life, Carl Bull still has the innate ability to see how things work and how to take them apart and improve their function or have a new design. Restoring vehicles is also a passion and joy for Carl.

Tuesday April 28, 2015

By Cookie Steponaitis

Firmly convinced their sixty-seven years of marriage is not worthy of news because they did not do “anything famous,” the Bulls were at first skeptical their lives would be something people would want to read about, but as both shared memories spanning eight decades about Ferrisburgh and Addison County the pair kept coming back to two themes - working with their hands and working with their hearts.
Carl E. Bull was born in Hinesburg in 1924, moved to North Ferrisburgh just after his fifth birthday and attended what was simply known as the Hollow School. One of three siblings, Carl remembers liking history in school but amended his statement quickly to include that he liked working with his hands far more. Bull, like most of his generation learned how to repair things out of necessity. Farmers were part electricians, mechanics and major trouble shooters because people did not order out repair work. “I never really did any welding,” shared Carl. “We would go to the blacksmith for that but most everything else we did.”
Since Carl and his father worked so well together and got along so well, Carl never really considered at first any other career than farming. The family milked twenty cows on their farm and got their first Model T Ford in 1924 which Carl’s dad used to carry two to four 85 lb. cans of milk to the Charlotte Creamery. While Carl’s dad saw the Model T as a nice piece of equipment, Carl saw even more potential for it. “I decided that the Model T would make a great tractor,” explained Carl. “When I first approached my father about it he didn’t see the merit in the idea but when we got going he changed his mind. By pulling the back half of the body off and customizing the front, Carl did what he is pretty sure no one in this part of America had ever done before. He transformed the car into a working tractor.  One afternoon when they were using it on the farm folks from the Crosby Commission Sales came by and asked to borrow Carl. They were having trouble with a pulley system on their own tractor and had heard about Carl’s ability to mechanically put things together. “Within five minutes,” grinned Carl, “I found the problem and showed them how to make it work. I guess I always just liked how things worked.”
At a square dance in Bristol, Vermont young Carl met and dated Ruth Jerger. “My father was rather strict,” shared Ruth. “I was not allowed to date and had to have one of my brothers chaperone me, so Carl and I met up at the square dance together.” The pair married in 1948 and has been a partnership ever since standing firmly together today, with four children, ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild to their credit. The Bulls hold family as the key ingredient in the decisions they made together.  Ruth spoke German at home and learned English in her school and remarked, “Looking back now I am proud of how fast I learned English. I spoke almost none when I arrived at the school.” They lived briefly in Burlington when first married while Carl work for a trucking company driving to Albany and parts of New England each day. The pair quickly decided the city life was not what they wanted and moved in 1951 to Shellhouse Mountain Road in the village of North Ferrisburgh and in 1957 to Dakin Farm Road where the couple’s home is to this day.
Parents of Kristine, Pat, Melanie and John the couple farmed. Carl drove truck for himself and other companies and both became rooted in the community. Carl worked on the roads for over forty years and was the Road Commissioner of Ferrisburgh for ten years and Ruth worked in the school and taught Sunday school for fifty years.  While most Vermonters assume the role of a Road Commissioner is simply that of plowing and road repair, Carl shared details about the equipment, the workers and the plan for the roads and changes that occurred during his tenure. The position of Road Commissioner has been held by his son John for the past twenty plus years. In fact, three generations of Bulls worked on the roads, for Carl’s father also helped him.
“When I started with the town we had a snow plow truck and a grader,” shared Carl. “Over the years I talked to the town about adding a front end loader and that was a game changer.” A problem solver his entire life, Bull looked at the town’s growing need for road materials and the slate ledge on the Field Farm and saw possibilities. “They laughed at me at first,” shared Bull. “I convinced Gardner Chamberlain to come over with his bulldozer with a spike on the end of it. It would break the slate up into pieces. When we began to use it on the roads to help build them up and fill people stopped laughing.”
While Ruth Jerger Bull learned never to be surprised at what Carl brought home or what new project was going on or what town vehicle was being repaired in the garage, she was master of the family maneuvers that centered around the large and productive family garden, canning, freezing and being a home away from home for many of the Ferrisburgh youth. Ruth babysat the VanDeWeert children and her home was the destination of a dozen or so of the neighbors. Hoping she passed on her love of home, cooking and kindness to her fellow man, Ruth was also an anchor in the local church community providing Sunday school lessons for fifty years and was part of the creation of the program. “While I know each generation does it somewhat differently,” remarked Ruth, “I know I passed on to many a compassion for people and a sense that no matter what your religion, being kind to people and having a strong work ethic is a combination that any generation can follow. We just got a card the other day from one of the kids who came to stay with us and he thanked us for giving him more than a meal and a roof over his head.” Son John shared, “She not only taught her children but also her grandchildren. All of us kids and also my daughter taught with Mom . I can remember every year she said this was going to be her last year, but she always went back.”
At sixty-seven years of marriage strong, the Bulls kind of chuckled when asked to share with the readers secrets of longevity in a marriage. “I knew enough to go out the door when it was time,” shared a chuckling Carl. “I simply obeyed and did what he wanted,” answered Ruth with a perfectly straight face. “Sure you did,” replied Carl with a droll look and the subject of marriage advice closed.
While the pair is no longer able to stay at home they are still together and function to this day as a couple. Carl and Ruth like so many of their generation are a product of a generation that learned how to do it, did it and are very happy to have been born and raised in that era. Carl, sharing information about his favorite restoration project of all time talked with reverence about a 1916 Cadillac he found and brought home looking like junk but with talented hands and heart restored it and the car exceeded even his vision for it.  Ruth’s face lights up as she shares a recipe for a favorite German noodle dish that she very proudly assures this reporter that several young people in the community have mastered and added to their family repertoire as a result of her teaching.
Whether it is speaking of the seventy-two miles of road in Ferrisburgh that were maintained, improved and tended by two generations of the Bull family, or canning, freezing food, teaching Sunday school, or even remarking that in both of their long lives neither of them had a job they worked at that they did not like, Carl and Ruth Bull keep two concepts in focus. The pair worked with their hands and hearts crafting out their lives in Ferrisburgh and proudly share stories of generations two and three who carry on that legacy. While the world has changed since the 15 cents movies, 5 cents popcorn and change back from the quarter; Carl Bull can remember some things staying the same. Hands, heart and work bind generations of Bulls and showcase yet another story of how life in Addison County is passed from the hands and hearts of one generation to the next.

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