Obituaries

Dr. Paige Elliott Mulhollan

Photo of Dr. Paige  Elliott Mulhollan
Dr. Paige Elliott Mulhollan, age 77, of Fayetteville, Ark., passed peacefully June 30, 2012, in Fayetteville after a short illness, surrounded by his family. Dr. Mulhollan was born in Fort Smith, Ark., on Dec. 10, 1934, to Paige Elwood Mulhollan and Ruth (Berry) Mulhollan. Dr. Mulhollan was a respected scholar, a passionate sailor, an avid birder and beloved husband, father and grandfather. Dr. Mulhollan's academic credentials included a master's degree in history from the University of Arkansas, a doctorate in history from the University of Texas, and an honorary doctor of letters from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His academic career included administrative positions at Kansas State University (Associate Dean of the Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor of History), the University of Oklahoma (Dean of the Arts and Sciences and Professor of History), Arizona State University (Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer), and Wright State University (President and Professor of History 1985–1994 and President Emeritus 1994-2012). In June 2012, Wright State University dedicated the Mulhollan Field in the Rinzler Student Sports Complex in honor of his contributions to the university during his tenure as president. His early academic career included an assignment to the University of Texas Oral History Project as a senior research associate. He was responsible for interviewing leading members of the foreign policy community associated with President Lyndon B. Johnson and his administration for the oral history collection of the LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson) Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. Other academic associations included over 20 years on the North Central Association, consultant to the National Endowment of the Humanities, chair of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, member of the President's Commission – National Collegiate Athletics Association, member of the National Advisory Committee to the Air Force ROTC, and member of the Air Force Institute of Technology Foundation. During the course of his sailing career, Dr. Mulhollan sailed the five Great Lakes and made multiple sailing trips in the Caribbean. He served as an official for the 1996 Olympics sailing trials held off the coast of Georgia. As a longtime birder Dr. Mulhollan participated on numerous Audubon field counts in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Ohio, South Carolina and Arkansas. He achieved a birder's life list containing over 670 species of birds identified during his travels across five continents. Dr. Mulhollan and his wife, Mary Bess, retired in Hilton Head, South Carolina from 1994–2004. Dr. Mulhollan approached retirement with the same enthusiasm and dedication as his academic career. While in Hilton Head he was President of the Hilton Head Audubon Society, President of the Carolina Butterfly Association, co-president (along with his wife) of the Hilton Head Land Trust, a volunteer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a board member and volunteer for the Coastal Discovery Museum. In 2005, Dr. Mulhollan and his wife returned to live in Fayetteville. While in Fayetteville he served as the executive director of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks for two years, a board member of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks (2005–2012), a board member of the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society, a board member of the University of Arkansas Retirement Association, and a member of the Rotary Club of Fayetteville (2005–2012). Dr. Mulhollan is survived by his wife, Mary Bess; son, Paige E. Mulhollan Jr. and wife Marilyn, of Chandler, Ariz.; son, Kelly Vernon Mulhollan and wife Donna, of Fayetteville; three granddaughters, Shannon Mulhollan of Fayetteville, Ryan Nicole Dotson and husband Steve of Chandler, Ariz., and Kaitlyn Mulhollan of Los Angeles, Calif.; great-granddaughter, Emerson Rose Mulhollan of Fayetteville; and brother, Dr. James Mulhollan and wife Brenda of Little Rock, Ark. Private services are planned. Details are pending regarding a public celebration of Dr. Mulhollan's life to be held at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, P.O. Box 10407, Fayetteville, AR 72703 or www.bgozarks.org. To sign the online guest book please visit www.nelsonberna.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson-Berna Funeral Home & Crematory of Fayetteville.

Published July 1, 2012

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