James Roger Bullard M.D.

James Roger Bullard, M.D., known to family and friends as Roger, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 28, 1934, and passed away on July 11, 2026. He lived a full, remarkable, and deeply loved life, defined by devotion to family, service to country, innovation in medicine, a love of learning, and a lifelong commitment to helping others.

Roger married the love of his life, Gloria Swann Bullard, on December 22, 1957, in Cuthbert, Georgia, where they met, only six months earlier, while he was working at Patterson Hospital. Their marriage was a treasured partnership of 66 years until Gloria’s passing in 2024. Together they built a life filled with family, travel, adventure, music, and countless cherished memories.

As a young man, Roger distinguished himself through leadership, discipline, and service. He was drum major of the Sylvan Hills High School marching band and earned the rank of Eagle Scout, early reflections of the dedication and character that would guide him throughout his life.

Roger graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Medicine in 1956 and earned his Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Georgia in 1959. He began his career in general practice in Acworth, Georgia, in 1960, with Gloria by his side.

From 1967 to 1970, Roger completed his residency in anesthesia at Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, D.C. In 1970, he served in Vietnam with the United States Army, where he was Commanding Officer. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Roger went on to become a distinguished and world-known anesthesiologist. His medical career included service as Chairman of the Department of Anesthesia at Winona Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana; Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston; Director of OB Anesthesia at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas; Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia at Emory University in Atlanta; and, finally, coming for circle, retirement from the Medical College of Georgia.

Throughout his career, Roger authored numerous publications in anesthesia and medical journals and was a frequent guest lecturer at anesthesia conferences. He was also an inventor whose work helped advance airway management, receiving multiple United States patents for innovations including the Bullard laryngoscope and related fiber-optic laryngoscope technology. His life’s work reflected a deep desire to save lives and improve the tools physicians used to care for patients.

Roger and Gloria loved to travel, often combining that passion with his medical work as he conducted workshops on the Bullard laryngoscope and spoke at conferences around the world. Their shared adventures reflected their curiosity, energy, and love of learning.

Roger had many interests beyond medicine, and he embraced them with curiosity and joy. He loved photography, astronomy, travel, reading, and classical literature, and he held a special affection for all things Sherlock Holmes. He also had a deep love of classical music and a longtime fondness for Lionel model trains, a hobby that reflected his delight in craftsmanship, detail, and imagination. These passions brought beauty, richness, and pleasure to his life.

Roger loved his family deeply and worked hard to provide the very best for them. He gave them a lifetime of memories: traveling together, living on a farm in Indiana, enjoying life in Charleston, South Carolina with weekend trips to the beach, boating on the Ohio River aboard their boat, “June 13th,” affectionally named in honor of the couple’s first date, and sharing adventures wherever life took them. He was independent, determined, and unmistakably himself, even when doing things his own way ruffled a few feathers.

After retirement, Roger continued to feed his lively mind by attending classes at Augusta College, a reflection of the love of learning that stayed with him throughout his life. Whether studying a new subject, reading a treasured book, listening to classical music, or returning to the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, he found joy in ideas, beauty, and the pursuit of understanding.

He is survived by his daughters, Paige Bullard-Johnson and Barbara Bullard Hawkins and her husband, Jeff; his grandchildren, Sophie Bullard-Guerrero and Henry Hawkins; his younger sister, Trahlyta Bullard Miller. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Gloria Swann Bullard; his daughter, Jaye Bullard Greene; his sister, Kathie Bullard Cochran, and his parents, James Thomas Bullard and Kathleen Rogers Bullard of Fairburn, Georgia.

In his final years, Roger lived at Barclay House in Augusta, where he enjoyed spending time with friends, including the caring staff who became part of his daily life.

In keeping with Roger’s wishes, the family will hold a private burial, and no funeral service will be held. A gathering of family and friends will be planned at a later date to celebrate his life and legacy.

Roger will be remembered as a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, respected physician, gifted inventor, veteran, teacher, traveler, and friend. He was dearly loved, deeply admired, and will be greatly missed.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com