Patrick Timothy Mullikin, 54
Features Writer/Consummate PR Man
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Patrick Timothy Mullikin 54, was born Oct. 9, 1953, in Pomona, Calif., the son of Willard Everett and Maria Esperanza (Gill) Mullikin.
The world of public relations and publicity arrived early for Mr. Mullikin when, at age 3, he was the subject of a feature story in the Progress Bulletin newspaper titled: “Olympic Material?” The young Mullikin, the story revealed, was the star pupil at the Don Jacobs’ Swim School in 1957.
As it turned out, the young Mr. Mullikin was better suited for watching television: "The Twilight Zone," “I Married Joan,” “Topper” and “Queen for a Day” were among his early favorites. Newspapers and public relations, however, would continue to play an important role later in his life.
Mr. Mullikin attended schools in Claremont, Calif., and was graduated from Claremont High School in 1971. He attended Chaffey Community College in Alta Loma, Calif., earning an Associate of Science degree in botany in 1975, the same year he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
As a U.S. Navy journalist, Mr. Mullikin traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. His favorite location was The Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, where he hoped to retire someday once he mastered Spanish.
Following his honorable discharge from active duty, in 1980, Mr. Mullikin attended The University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism and was awarded The Thomas Duffy Award for Excellence in Feature Writing in 1982, the year he graduated.
Mr. Mullikin worked for a variety of publications across the United States: as editor of "The Voice of Astara" (the publication of a Southern California metaphysical church), editor of The Daily Clintonian (on the banks of the Wabash River in Indiana) and as staff writer for "Sylvia Porter’s Personnel Finance Magazine" in New York City. He was later lured into the world of corporate marketing and public relations.
In 1987 he married Jennifer Blanche Egelhof of Staten Island, N.Y., and the couple moved to Vermont where they raised two children, Brendan Patrick Mullikin and Suzannah Hope Mullikin. In Vermont he owned a music store and cafe that featured live entertainment: Riverwalk Records and the Howard Bean Cafe. He sold the business in 2005 and has since focused on writing.
Throughout his adult life Mr. Mullikin enjoyed watching old black-and-white movies, reading – especially books by James Thurber, Robert Benchley and his favorite, S. J. Perelman – and playing blackjack in the old neon casinos of Las Vegas’ Freemont Street.
He eschewed membership in fraternal clubs and organizations, following his hero Groucho Marx’s example: “I would never belong to a club that would accept me as a member.”
In lieu of flowers, Mr. Mullikin asks that employers with high-paying writing or public relations jobs, especially those located in warm, sunny climates, contact him immediately.