Steve D. Bullock: A Lifetime of Red Cross Service

Steve D. Bullock, whose career with the American Red Cross spanned six decades, including serving as the organization's first African American national acting president, passed away recently in Cleveland, Ohio.

Born in North Carolina, Steve rose from humble roots to become a trailblazer within the Red Cross, leaving behind a long-lasting legacy having devoted his life to helping those in need.

He once described his humanitarian drive as a result of “seeing so much suffering in my life, I became determined to spend my life trying to relieve that suffering wherever I found it and whatever the cause may be."

FIRST TO ATTEND COLLEGE Steve was the youngest of 22 children and after his father was disabled in a farming accident, he began working at age eight to help support his family.

Steve’s mother placed a strong emphasis on education and she advocated fiercely to ensure he could remain in school. Steve persevered and proudly graduated from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, in June 1959 with a degree in history. While at Virginia Union, he met his future wife, Doris, whom he married in 1961.

Steve was in the U.S. Army in 1962 when he first volunteered with the Red Cross. Later after leaving the Army, he began his career as a caseworker on military installations, taking him and his family to military posts throughout the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia.

In 1976, Steve was named executive director of the St. Paul Area Chapter of the Red Cross and manager of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Division, making him the first African American to rise to such a position. This happened in spite of many people telling him that he wouldn’t be accepted as a chapter leader because of his race.

EFFORTS LED TO TODAY’S HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN In 1982, his career continued to advance when Steve was appointed chief executive officer of the Greater Cleveland Red Cross Chapter. Over the next 17 years, he played a pivotal role in the community — from CPR training and disaster response to a broader array of public aid and support programs. In recognition of his service, the Northeast Ohio Red Cross Humanitarian Award is named in his honor.

In Cleveland, Steve helped develop Operation Save-A-Life, aimed at reducing injuries and deaths due to home fires. The program focused on educating residents in at-risk neighborhoods about fire safety and giving out free smoke alarms. Years later, this local effort evolved into the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which is now credited with saving at least 2,479 lives across the country.

In 1988, Steve rose to more national prominence within the organization when he was asked to chair the President’s Advisory Committee for the Red Cross. This group of senior executives counseled top management on issues facing the organization. He also led the critical 1996 national American Red Cross fundraising campaign.

INTERIM PRESIDENT In recognition of Steve’s leadership and commitment to the American Red Cross, he was called to serve as interim president in January 1999 when Elizabeth Dole stepped down to run in the U.S. presidential election. Steve was the first African American to hold the post and described it as “a weighty and exhilarating moment” to lead an organization that had 31,000 employees, 1.3 million volunteers and a $2.1 billion budget at the time.

Steve served as president until August 1999 when a permanent successor was named. During his term, Steve was credited with creating the first set of national values to help guide how the organization delivers its mission. He worked to expand disaster relief and healthcare services in Black and Latino communities and established regional branches in diverse neighborhoods.

His impact also stretched across the globe. Steve brought 60,000 pounds of relief supplies to Macedonia to aid nearly 140,000 ethnic Albanian refugees driven from their homes in Kosovo. He also visited Honduras after Hurricane Mitch to announce the country would receive $38 million in relief support. At the time, this was the largest international disaster relief campaign mounted by the American Red Cross.

Steve’s presidency was his final service with the Red Cross. Driven by a commitment to continue serving others, he founded The Bullock Group in 2000 to offer executive coaching and leadership consulting to nonprofits and public institutions.

Steve earned an MBA from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and served faithfully on the Board of Trustees of his beloved alma mater, Virginia Union University. He was also an active member of Antioch Baptist Church where he served in many roles including the Deacon Board and the Gospel and Sanctuary Choruses.

A well-loved member of the Cleveland community where he spent the last forty years of his life, Steve was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and The Boulé (Sigma Pi Phi). He also authored a book, “My Name Is Steve Delano Bullock: How I Changed My World and The World Around Me Through Leadership, Caring and Perseverance,” describing his experience as an African American leader in a predominantly white society to empower others to succeed, regardless of any hurdles before them.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents William Henry and Ida Mayo Bullock, his wife Doris Louise Elizabeth (Kelly) Bullock, and a host of brothers and sisters. Survivors include his children, Robyne (Michael), Eric (Cathy), Brian (Patricia), Kelly (Leroy), his grandchildren Antoinette (Devin), Brandon, Candace, Cameron (Kiley), Elizabeth, Marcus, Brianna, Steven, Blair, Kylee, his great-grandchildren Hendrix, Luna, Lennox and Leyton.

Memorial services will be held on Monday, September 22 at 11:00 a.m. at Antioch Baptist Church, 8869 Cedar Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in honor of Steve D. Bullock to Virginia Union University.