Martha Bullert

Martha Bullert, a retired college professor, died Wednesday, December 4, 1996 at her home in Waynesville, Missouri. She was 87 years of age. Martha was born in St. Paul, Pulaski County, Minnesota on February 11, 1909. She was adopted by John Albert Bullert (1869–1929) and Ernestine Bertha (Rucks) Bullert (1875–1935) of Green Isle, Sibley County, Minnesota.

Martha Bullert was single, never married and had no children. She had a love of world travel and was proficient in four languages: German, French, Dutch and Persian. Her amazing life story probably never would have come to light but for an inexplicable curiosity to know more about her. A Google search produced only two clues. The first was her obituary, posted by a man named Doug White, who was an infant when he and his father were captured by the Japanese and interned as Prisoners of War in World War II at Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila, the Philippines. Doug noted that Martha had cared for him while they were both POWs. A second search result was the account of another POW at Santo Tomas who mentioned Martha Bullert by name as being a cook at the POW camp. Thus began the search to find out the story of Martha Bullert.

Her obituary mentioned her alma mater, University of Wisconsin, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. On a hunch, a search of the University's online database found Martha Bullert named in the Murphy Library's Special Collections. There were only a few articles referencing her as a teacher, but no photographs of her. A phone call to the Library proved invaluable. Historian and academic librarian, Laura Godden, confirmed they were in possession of several unopened boxes which had been donated to the Library after Martha's death in 1996. The boxes had been stored, untouched, until now — 21 years later. Laura agreed to look through the boxes to see if there were any photos of Martha. A few days later, her email confirmed not only the existence of photographs, but letters, diaries, an old German Bible, scrapbooks, scholarly works and so much more. This revelation was thrilling!

Thanks to Laura Godden at University of Wisconsin–La Crosse's Murphy Library, new documents have been uncovered (September 2017) that reveal the incredible life of Martha Bullert. Laura Godden is supervising the organization and archiving of the "Martha Bullert Special Collection" for posterity! One of the treasures she discovered is Martha Bullert's handwritten diary of "the War Years" (1941–1945) during which she was a Prisoner of War at Santo Tomas Internment Camp in the Philippines. This diary is a mesmerizing account of the horrors of war, Martha's remarkable courage, ingenuity, and indomitable spirit!

Martha attended German school and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith in April 1922. She attended Arlington High School and the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In 1929, she was Vice President of the Young Women's Christian Association at the Wisconsin State Teachers College.

Her Master's Degree was granted at Columbia University in New York. She studied race relations at Fisk University in Tennessee, and International Relations at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, Vienna University in Austria, and the University of Geneva in Switzerland. She was very close to completing her PhD.

She was a teacher by profession and taught in the Furough School in Rasht, Iran in 1938. In 1940, she taught at Silliman University on Negros Island, the Philippines.

In early 1942, at age 33, Martha was teaching at Silliman University in Dumaguete on Negros Island, Philippines — run and operated by Americans. She was among the many Americans captured by the Japanese Imperial Army and was a Prisoner of War for over three years (1942–1945) in Dumaguete and Bacolod Internment Camps on Negros Island, and then the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila.

Bacolod Internment Camp was established on June 5, 1942 in Bacolod North Elementary School, in Bacolod City, on Negros. The camp had about 140 internees within the first three months. On March 2, 1943, 119 internees were transported to Santo Tomas Internment Camp (STIC), arriving there about March 10, 1943.

In the camp at Santo Tomas, Martha cared for 1-year-old Robert Douglas "Doug" White, the son of Max Douglas White (1905–1978). Later in adulthood, Doug wrote: "I was less than a year old when dad and I were interned. We were interned from the beginning in 1942 till the liberation in 1945. I have little or no personal memories of the camp but I have letters, and several books written by those others who were interned."

From "Santo Tomas Internment Camp" by F. H. Stevens: "Eating and cooking arrangements were extremely haphazard to begin with. The great outdoors was their dining room and the earth their table until a cement building was turned over for their use as kitchen and mess hall... Mrs. Jardeleza succeeded Mrs. Harbort as cook and, when she left, Martha Bullert took over."

On February 3, 1945, the 1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army liberated Santo Tomas Internment Camp. Martha Bullert was among the survivors freed that day after more than three years of captivity.

After liberation, Martha returned to the United States. She resumed her academic career and continued to travel and teach. She later settled in Waynesville, Missouri, where she lived until her death in 1996.

After the war, Martha returned to academic life. She continued her scholarly pursuits and remained connected to the academic community throughout her life. She never married and had no children.

Martha Bullert died on December 4, 1996 at her home in Waynesville, Missouri, at the age of 87. Her personal papers, diaries, letters, photographs, and an old German Bible were donated to the Murphy Library at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, where they are preserved as the "Martha Bullert Special Collection."