The Eileen and William Mullin Memorial Scholarship

Criteria: (Amount Equal to One Full Annual Tuition Award) The Eileen and William Mullin Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a full-time undergraduate student majoring in Education in a program leading to teacher certification in Massachusetts. Applicants should demonstrate financial need and have a minimum 3.0 G.P.A. Applicants must provide a short essay attesting to their need for this grant. In addition, they must convey an understanding of the necessity of educating students with a global perspective on the problems, challenges, and opportunities facing citizens for the future.

Robert “Bob” E. Mullin’s inquisitiveness led him from Worcester to make a life in vibrant New York City and to become an enthusiastic world traveler. His education at Worcester State Teachers College—he earned a bachelor’s degree in Education with a minor in Social Studies in 1953 and a master’s degree in Education in 1956—prepared him to excel at both. Worcester State made such an impression on Bob that he continued his association with classmates throughout the years and became a very generous benefactor. In 2004, Bob received the Alumni Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement, the highest non-degree recognition bestowed by the college on an alumnus.

For four years following graduation from WSTC, Bob taught in Worcester Public Schools. Motivated by the desire to see the world, Bob then taught in U.S. government schools in Japan, Germany, and England, and in U.S. Embassy schools in Morocco and Denmark. In 1962, he was accepted into Teachers College, Columbia University, where he was a part-time research assistant on the prestigious Afghanistan India Project while earning an Ed.D. Bob then joined the faculty of Queens College, division of the City University of New York (CUNY), where he taught prospective social studies teachers for 30 years. He was designated professor emeritus when he retired in 1995.

In the aftermath of the Class of 1953’s 50th reunion, Bob was inspired to personally endow a scholarship in memory of his parents, Eileen and William Mullin. Acknowledging their faith in education, Bob is mindful that his good fortunes may not have transpired were it not for his parents’ expectations and encouragement that he go to college. “While neither of my parents had the opportunity for higher education, they recognized its life-changing importance and encouraged and supported my two brothers and myself to go as far as we could go,” he said. “Only in our American open society could the children of first- and second-generation immigrants have had such access to higher education and the good and fulfilling life it has afforded us. Hopefully, in each of our lives, we have made a contribution to the ideals and possibilities that this country stands for.”

Prior to endowing his own scholarship, Bob was a steadfast supporter of the Dr. Elizabeth V. Foster Scholarship, which is endowed, and also contributed to the Earl B. Shaw Geography Award. In honor of his 50th reunion in 2003, Bob made his contribution in memory of Professor Agnes Scribner, “a dedicated and beloved teacher.” Additionally, Bob’s gifts were made in memory of Professors Albert Farnsworth, Guy Winslow, Francis Jones, Rita Morris, Dr. Elizabeth Barlow, and Grace Kendrick, who was also his faculty advisor and director of the Glee Club (Bob was a member). “These exceptional teachers helped to change my life and prepared me well for my life as a teacher of social studies,” he said.

In keeping with Bob’s love of social studies, he continued his passion for exploring the world in his retirement, traveling yearly to Europe and dividing his time among New York, California, and Hawaii. “I love music and art. So it was opera, concerts, museums, and galleries the entire trip,” he said of a 2007 visit to Vienna, Budapest, and Bratislava. (He also took a quintessential boat trip down the Danube.) As a result of his extensive travels, Bob has friends all over the world! Bob’s endearing respect for his parents will be long remembered through the creation of The Eileen and William Mullin Memorial Scholarship, as will the Mullin family name. Bob’s devotion to his alma mater will enrich the lives of deserving students in perpetuity. These reasons were at the forefront of his mind as he enthusiastically announced this scholarship at his 55th class reunion in May 2008.