Del Pullen

I was born in Los Angeles, and raised primarily by my maternal grandparents, who were devout believers that modeled a Christ-centered life. At 13 years of age, I was water baptized to affirm my commitment to a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ.

I grew up in Long Beach, CA where I eventually became a police officer. I later migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area for a position at the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, where I met my future wife. After eleven years with the sheriff’s department, I transitioned to the public sector to design call management computer systems to support the rollout of 9-1-1 across the nation. I have been married to my wife, Patty, since 1979. She is unquestionably God’s choice for my life mate. She is the Satellite Leader for the GSM missions in Uganda, the force majeure behind Sam’s Attic and several other successful fundraisers.

We relocated to Lake Oswego in 1993 when I was transferred to Oregon to work with a team of engineers that were coming off the Green River Task Force. We used the systems created for investigation and identification of the second most prolific serial killer in United States history, and to equip other law enforcement agencies with advanced information systems for managing criminal investigations. That software became the foundation for most investigation and analysis systems still used today by federal, state and municipal police departments. At the same time, we were designing and reengineering the information systems used by 9-1-1 call centers.

Patty and I have four adult, married children, eleven grandkids (age 0 to 18 years), a large extended family, and many close friends who have invested in our lives. All of our children and their families live in the Southwest Portland suburbs and we are privileged to be part of their daily lives. Because my job required near full-time travel, I had the ability to bring my family along for part of their summer school break. We spent extended time in Boston, New Orleans, Washington D.C., Seattle, Pittsburg, and other Cities. We visited landmarks including Nigra Falls, Mt. Rushmore, Time Square, the D.C. memorials, the Smithsonian and many, many more; even the world’s only corn palace in Mitchel, IA. In one of the years, we were in 39 states over the summer.

Patty and I are members, and fellowship leaders, with a local non-denominational, bible-centric Christian church. (I’m proud to say my youngest son is on staff there.) I have a Samaritan’s heart and I’m honored to be part of the GSM International family since 1997. My introduction to GSM came through counseling, first with Elsa Jane Weislogel and later by Bettie Mitchell during the final three years of her earthly life. I do my best to follow Bettie’s teaching and example of being an invested participant and not a casual observer in everything worth doing. I am a committed volunteer at Sam’s Attic. I am also an active member of the GSM Uganda Satellite Team.

I semi-retired in 2021 after 47 years working in public safety with the bulk of that time being devoted to the application of emerging information technologies for 9-1-1, emergency services, criminal investigations and other public safety operations. I have worked with nearly 2,000 major 9-1-1, police, fire and emergency medical service organizations across the U.S., Canada and Australia. I continue to provide part-time consulting services to corporations engaged in the development and delivery of information systems for police and fire departments.

I’m feeling my way around this new stage in life and I am eager to see where God leads me next.