Ansley Park businessman championed spinal-injury fundraising

Ten days after a new spinal cord injury research lab at the Shepherd Center was named after he and his wife, Billy Hulse died at his Ansley Park home on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012.

Frank “Billy” Wilson Hulse IV was 65. He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Betty Hulse, along with a sister, Bonnie Hulse Krebs; a niece, Cobby Witherington; and a nephew, Frank Young.

There will be a celebration of his life on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at the Piedmont Driving Club from 5-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in memory of Billy Hulse to the Shepherd Center Foundation, Betty and Billy Hulse Spinal Cord Injury Lab, located at 2020 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30309.

The Betty and Billy Hulse Spinal Cord Injury Lab was named after the Hulses during a Sept. 11 ceremony following a $1.2 million gift that the couple helped raise. Billy Hulse was a former patient at the center after he was paralyzed by a spinal cord injury in 2009. The gift will allow the Shepherd Center to expand its research aimed at learning more about the neurobiology of spinal cord injury in people who are undergoing rehabilitation.

In a press release prior to the ceremony earlier this month, Hulse said he was proud at what had already been achieved at the lab, “It’s a chance to give back to the people at Shepherd who provide such a tremendous service to those of us with catastrophic injuries,” he said.

A successful Atlanta businessman, pilot, and passionate fundraiser for the Atlanta Botanical Garden among several organizations, Hulse was a Birmingham native who moved to the Atlanta area four decades ago. He was described as being a simple and generous man who loved fly-fishing, jazz music and aviation. Read more about his life here.