Claude Bertram Gullatt, Sr.

Although born Claude Bertram Gullatt Sr., his family knew him as Big Pop. The stories that surround him still echo anytime more than a few of his grandchildren get together. He was born July 5, 1881 near Phenix City, Alabama, in Russell County and died almost 70 years later on October 22, 1950.

Big Pop was the fifth of the 10 children, four of whom died in infancy, two of whom were born after the death of his father, Robert Benjamin Gullatt – only months after. At the age of eight, he went to work in the Eagle and Phenix Mills as a doffer and sweeper. He worked 12 hours a day, six days a week, and his wages were 25 cents a day. When he was 18, he started working a peddler’s cart, selling house wares and grocery items. He later operated a grocery store and then a furniture store, finally settling into a real estate and political career.

He was elected mayor of Phenix City in 1912, 1918, and 1922 for two-year terms and was one of the first commissioners appointed by Governor W. W. Brandon after the consolidation of Phenix City and Girard in 1923. He served two terms as state representative from Phenix City, then a part of Lee County: 1926-1930 and 1930-1934. In 1942, he was elected again to the Alabama House of Representatives, this time from Russell County.

If you read these paragraphs, it might tell you something about his life, but it wouldn’t tell you who he was and I’m not sure I can do him justice. I never knew Big Pop, but I can tell you that almost the first words out of anyone’s mouth are that he was “a real character”. To start with, he was a big man – probably 6’4 or better and close to 300 pounds. These days, the offensive line on my son’s football team probably averages 300 lbs, but in 1930, that was a very big man. He was probably one of the largest men in the county.

Because of his size, he suffered on hot, humid southern days. On Sundays at the Central Baptist Church, the pew underneath the solitary ceiling fan was his and nobody challenged it. He hated to listen to the choir and wouldn’t enter the church until after the choir was finished singing. So instead, he would take his grandchildren and walk down to Eiland's service station. He would buy them all sodas, peanuts and crackers. When their bellies were full, they would make their way back to the church, sliding into the still vacant pew underneath the oscillating fan.

Though actually born on July 5, Big Pop often claimed Independence Day as his birthday and celebrated it as such. It was a big occasion. A good portion of the town was invited and they would dine on large tubs of Chicken Comer’s famous barbecue. The kids would run around chasing each other while the parents laughed and joked with their friends and family.

Big Pop owned many rental homes in Phenix City. One of my mother’s frequent tasks was to help collect the rent. During WWII when my mother was about eight or nine years old, Big Pop would drive her around town, sending her up to the door to ring the bell. The rent was usually around $8. The tenants would hand her the money, and she would run back to the car. He owned many houses and they would move down the street in this manner, Big Pop slowly driving the car as my mother went door-to-door.

Big Pop loved games. Board games, card games, sports – you name it, he liked it. He always kept a box seat at the baseball stadium of the local farm team. His nephew, Claud Rutledge relayed this story to me.

"Uncle Claude (Big Pop) was one of a kind. There will never be another like him. I loved him very much. He was quite a guy.

He used to love to play cards, (Set Back) and Dominoes. One time I went to Phenix City with my Mother, and he was at the Fire Station playing Dominoes with the firemen. I walked down there and just stood around for a while and finally had my chance to play with him. And I beat him. He didn't recognize me, and he said, "Who taught you how to play dominoes." I told him that he did, then he asked me who I was. He was shocked when I told who I was.

He & Mamag (his wife) used to come to North Carolina in the summer time. We had a Lake near Goldsboro, where we lived, and we would play Set Back with Mamag, my Mother and I. He was Claud # 1, and I was Claud #2. That is one game he always won."

Big Pop had a habit of carrying around large sums of money. One night at the baseball park, he lost his wallet carrying several thousand dollars. That's a lot of money even today, but an enormous sum in the 1938. Big Pop also kept a large safe in his house. One night, thieves cut a hole in the roof and opened the safe. They stole $31,000. My mother remembers the FBI there the next day taking fingerprints. The same night they also stole $12,000 from a safe in Uncle Al’s house. Big Pop believed he knew who had taken the money, but the police said those men were in jail that night, even though he had reason to believe they were not. The money was never recovered.

Big Pop became diabetic later in life, but he never lost his taste for sweets. He liked to sneak out to the corner store where he would buy a peach and play checkers with the old men that lingered there. When his absence was noted, my mother or one of her cousins would be dispatched to get him.

As Big Pop grew older, he was periodically bed-ridden during the last few years of his life. At one point when he appeared to be at death’s door, the family summoned an ambulance and called the family around his bed. He motioned for my grandfather, W.R. Belcher to come near. He did so, leaning close enough so that Big Pop could whisper something in his ear. Everyone suspected he wanted to convey his last words, but in reality, he was merely instructing my grandfather to place a bet for him on a football game to be played that day.

When Big Pop died, my mother remembers sitting on the porch when a woman came to the gate. She was carrying a small bouquet of cut flower that she had collected. She was embarrassed that she couldn’t afford store-bought flowers, but she wanted to show her respect for Big Pop. She shyly came up onto the porch, handed the flowers to my mother and quietly left...

Story ID:	19
Written by:	Scott R. Lupo (bio, contact, other stories)
Organization:	OurEcho
Story type:	Biography
Location:	Phenix City Alabama USA
Year:	1935
Person:	Claude Bertram Gullatt Sr.