For Gerald Purnell ’78, the dream of returning to his hometown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and practicing law has been a constant since his days at Bucknell, as inexorable as the Chesapeake Bay tide beating the shore.
"It has always been a dream of mine, since I was at Bucknell, to become a lawyer and return to the area," he says. "It’s a very poor, rural place. There are not a lot of opportunities for everybody, and that’s not just on racial lines."
His diligence and determination were rewarded last November, when Purnell, a registered Democrat, was appointed by Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich Jr. to be the first African-American judge on the Eastern Shore.
"Every single day, every hour, I think about it," Purnell says about his Worcester County District Court judgeship, a 10-year term he began in January. "It’s what I’ve always wanted, it’s what I worked for. You think about people establishing goals that are so lofty that they never get there."
Purnell, a Berlin, Md., native, credits Bucknell with instilling the work ethic and focus required to pass law school, bar exams, and the political process that led to his appointment, which followed a recommendation by a 13-member nominating body appointed by Ehrlich.
"Bucknell was so rich in stimuli, in terms of academics," he says. "When you really measure what you go to school for, for the academics, it was perfect."
Former Bucknell basketball coach Jim Valvano, who went on to win a college championship with North Carolina State in 1983, recruited him to play basketball, beginning a relationship with the University that continues to reward Purnell. He met his future wife, Karen Bush ’80, in Lewisburg.
Purnell follows the Bucknell men’s basketball team’s accomplishments with pride, having been teammates with current coach Pat Flannery ’80. Purnell received from Flannery a congratulatory handwritten letter following his appointment.
"It does the heart wonders to see them doing so well," he says. He also received congratulations from President Brian C. Mitchell, who "sent me the nicest letter," Purnell says.
The import of his new post to those around him isn’t lost on Purnell, who stayed at Bucknell in 1979 for a master’s in education.
He says, "I’m extremely aware of the historical significance, and for the people around me, it’s tremendous."
