![a head shot of Richard Bullock, Sr.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1748550948/alamedak12caus/tsyxcjruwvkd3vgco7bk/RichardBullock.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1748550948/alamedak12caus/tsyxcjruwvkd3vgco7bk/RichardBullock.jpg","width":373}])
Alameda, California — May 28, 2025 At its May 27 public meeting, staff presented a community proposal to name the scoreboard in Alameda High School’s New Gym after Richard Bullock, Sr., a long-time advocate for youth sports in Alameda.
The presentation covered background on Mr. Bullock, the proposal, and the Board Policy that governs naming facilities and triggered the required 30-day public comment period for any naming proposal.
A Lifetime of Local Sports
Mr. Bullock, who was born in 1938 and died in 2022, lived in Alameda his entire life and was active in both school and city athletics. He lettered in baseball and basketball at Alameda High School, played ARPD basketball and men’s softball, coached Catholic Youth Organization basketball and Babe Ruth baseball, and served as the president of the Alameda High Athletic Boosters. He was also a longtime announcer for softball, football, and women’s basketball at Alameda High School.
“My Dad loved his family, Alameda, and Alameda sports,” Mike Bullock, one of Richard Bullock’s sons, said during public comment on the presentation. “If you lived in Alameda during the last 70 years, he either coached you, played against you, or raised money for you."
The idea for naming the scoreboard originated with the president of the AHS Athletics Boosters, Andrea Long, in partnership with the Bullock family. The family had asked for donations to the Boosters in lieu of flowers after Mr. Bullock’s death. The Boosters created a special fund to receive the donations, and Ms. Long pledged that it would be “used to do something important,” she said at the meeting. “I knew that I did not want this to be used just in the general fund. I knew that I wanted something meaningful, impactful, and long lasting.”
The idea for naming the scoreboard came from the fact that Mr. Bullock, Sr. had been known as the “Voice of the Hornets,” she said.
Scoreboard Logistics
Naming the scoreboard in memory of Mr. Bullock would entail erecting either a decorative “truss” (or frame) or a digital display with the words "Voice of the Hornets" and "In Memory of Richard Bullock, Sr" written on it. The exact design will be determined based on cost and the Bullock family’s preferences; the Boosters will use the Richard Bullock, Sr. Memorial Fund to pay for the display, with the exception of AUSD staff time and, potentially, materials for the installation, such as screws and/or anchors.
AUSD Board Policy
Under Board Policy 7310 and its attendant Administrative Regulation, AUSD facilities can be named after:
- People, living or dead, who have made significant contributions to the community, state, nation, or world
- Places or references to the local geography
- Programs or educational or community values
The Board Policy also mandates that four steps be taken to name a currently unnamed facility:
- A meeting with employees who use the facility
- This meeting was held for AHS PE teachers and coaches on May 3 and was followed by a survey to all AHS coaches and PE teachers as well.
- An informational board presentation
- This occurred on May 27
- A 30-day public comment period
- May 27 to June 24
- A vote by the Board of Education
- This will occur at the June 24 Board Meeting
The comment period will remain open through June 24. Comments on the proposed renaming can be sent to:
Susan Davis, Senior Manager of Community Affairs
or
c/o Alameda Unified School District
2060 Challenger Drive
Alameda, CA 94501