Car Crash in Cuba Kills Professor, Administrator

A Pomona College professor and a Glendale College administrator have died of injuries suffered in a March 29 car accident in Cuba.

Harry C. Mullikin, a mathematics professor at Pomona College in Claremont, died in the accident. He was 58.

Gary W. Parker, 53, dean of admissions and records at Glendale Community College, died Friday night of his injuries. The two men had been companions for 31 years.

Details of the accident were not available.

Parker had worked with the Glendale Community College District since 1987. Colleagues credit him with modernizing student registration and enrollment procedures at the school.

“He was an outstanding employee and a well-respected member of the faculty,” said John Davitt, Glendale Community College president. “He was extremely bright, saw to the heart of the problem and always came up with a solution.”

Parker and Mullikin were on a two-week visit to Cuba during a monthlong trip through Latin America when the accident occurred. They traveled often and had residences in Claremont and Idyllwild, Pomona College officials said.

While at Glendale Community College, Parker made it possible for students to register for courses by phone and posted classes on the Internet. He also designed the school’s first Web page, student handbooks and class catalogs, said Nancy Knight, vice president of college services.

Mullikin was appointed to the Pomona College faculty in 1968 and became a full professor by 1982, teaching mathematics and computer science. He helped form that school’s computer science program in the 1970s, Pomona College officials said.

Services for Mullikin are pending.

Memorial services for Parker will be at 4 p.m. April 24 at the United Church of Christ in Claremont. Glendale Community College will hold a memorial service at noon May 4 in the campus auditorium.