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• Bulliard 'queen mother' of memorial 

     Her love of history and interest in genealogy is what inspired Bulliard to commence a
     search for the names of the first Acadian settlers in Louisiana. The result is the "Wall
     of Names," a large bronze plaque inside the Acadian Memorial with almost 3,000
     names on it, which serves as a memorial to the Acadians who suffered during their
     exile from Nova Scotia. 

     "Arrete-toi ami, lis mon nom et souviens-toi," which means, "Pause friend, read my
     name and remember," clearly states the meaning behind the memorial.

     Bulliard, a Ville Platte native who is married to Ed Bulliard of St. Martinville, said she
     began researching genealogy in the 1950s. It was when her father asked for her help
     in locating members of a family that owned oil royalties that her interest peaked,
     Bulliard said. She said she and her father placed ads in newspapers to find as many
     family members as possible.

     "It was amazing to see the number of people who came forward," Bulliard said. "It
     was a rewarding experience, and I continued to be excited by research in history and
     genealogy."

     From here, Bulliard worked with Winston Deville in researching materials for a book
     on the marriage records of the Attakapas Post, she said. During this research,
     Bulliard said she became immersed in the Acadian archives in St. Martin de Tours
     Catholic Church in St. Martinville.

     This led to her interest in promoting St. Martinville's history as a way to attract
     tourists, and she was instrumental in forming the city's tourist commission.

     "I realized St. Martinville was unique in the state of Louisiana because it had an
     intact 19th century downtown area," she said. "We (tourist commission) wanted to
     find a way to protect the Evangeline Oak, and the solution was to create a park-like
     setting around the tree."

     Bulliard said she had a revelation during the planning of the park.

     "While growing up I had always heard the story of Evangeline and it always seemed
     to be true," she said. "It was during the planning of the park that I realized the telling
     of the story (Evangeline) dealt only with literary characters.

     "I wanted an honest perspective, to tell the story of real people, so I decided to find
     the names of all the exiles," she said. "The Acadian Memorial truly is that."

     Bulliard and other genealogists sifted through church records in St. Martin de Tours,
     St. Louis Cathedral and the New Orleans di.