A life like Dr. Martha Mullins’ is difficult to succinctly define. Most hear her name and immediately associate her with Title IX implementation. Some emphasize her coaching career and accolades, along with her love of a well-organized state or national conference. Others would tell you of her passion for education, a value instilled by her great-grandfather, H.C. McDonnell, who believed all children should have access to physical education for their own well-being. Those that knew her best would also include some tale of a decadent dessert or maybe even a stolen peanut butter pie. Regardless of the image that comes to mind when one thinks of Dr. Mullins, the sound is an irrefutable and irresistible Alabama drawl.
Martha Mullins was born in Mobile, Alabama, on September 12, 1932. Though close to her mother and brother Frank, her father was the first to introduce her to women’s sports. In an interview, Martha described the first time she saw a girls softball game, saying, “I knew then I really wanted to be one of them. So I kept that with me and in sixth grade, we were supposed to compete in the relay races. We were ready to go, but the ‘School Man’ said no, that it was inappropriate for girls. I decided right there that if I ever had the chance to do anything about that stereotype, I would.”
And boy, did she succeed. Martha began her education with a B.S. in Health and Physical Education, along with a second major in Spanish and minor in Biology from the University of Alabama in 1953. Ten years later, she earned an M.S. of Physical Education from The Florida State University, followed by a Ph.D in Physical Education Administration in 1969. While her degrees were impressive, it was the work in-between that was most noteworthy. She traveled from Alabama to Alaska (1955-57) to Mexico (1957-58), teaching physical education, Spanish and biology at multiple levels. In 1963, she moved to Panama City, Florida, to become the instructor of health and physical education and coach of both tennis and volleyball at Gulf Coast Junior College.
By 1969, she made it to our own Eastern Kentucky University, where she served in many capacities, beginning with Tennis Coach and retiring as the Associate Athletics Director for Internal Affairs in 1996. While at EKU, Martha assumed the first Assistant Athletics Director/Coordinator of Women’s Sports position and all of the challenges that came with it. She also held several leadership roles throughout professional organizations and women’s sports associations in which she created and organized tournament opportunities, equity policies and educational opportunities. There was no one defining moment that made Martha’s impact so great. Rather, it was the culmination of relentless efforts behind the scenes every single day to better each and every student that solidified her success.
Martha carried her students and all those she cared about with her wherever she went and for all of her lifetime. No matter her location, she was always in touch with a past student or holding a reunion get-together of some kind. She genuinely loved people and that compassion far exceeded annual reunions or kind words in meaningful notes. Martha supported others and perpetuated change through financial support. She gave generously without reservation to areas supporting women’s athletics, women in administration and EKU Libraries (just to name a few) throughout the majority of her life because she believed in making a difference for others. She established her own Martha Mullins Women’s Softball Fund, leaving a legacy at EKU and ensuring that her support of Eastern’s students lives on in perpetuity.
Martha is remembered as an educator at heart, an advocate by nature and an administrator by profession. She was a supporter of any and all in her orbit with a word of encouragement to, “keep pushing” here or a heartfelt card there; a world traveler and educator that taught with no regard for borders; and a woman who tried to level the playing field by dedicating her life to equality and quietly funding initiatives she wholly believed in. Most importantly, she’s remembered in a way that doesn’t let others forget, that perpetuates the legacy she worked tirelessly to create.
Visit go.eku.edu/give-Mullins to honor the life of Dr. Martha Mullins with a gift to the Martha Mullins Women’s Softball Fund.
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