Glendale College Official, Campanion Killed in Crash

A Glendale College administrator and his companion, a Pomona College professor, have died from injuries suffered in a March 29 car accident in Cuba.

Gary W. Parker, dean of admissions and records at Glendale Community College, died Friday night from his injuries. He was 53.

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

The two men had been companions 31 years.

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 had just started a two-week visit to Cuba during a monthlong trip through Central and South America when the accident occurred. They often traveled. They had residences in Claremont and Idyllwild, according to officials at Pomona College.

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.

“He really loved the students and always went the extra mile for them,” said Knight, who was Parker’s supervisor. “He also had a really wonderful wit and sense of humor. He was droll, dry and intellectual.”

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

Parker is survived by his mother, Janet Parker of Claremont; a sister, Janet Parker Booth of Reno; brothers David Parker of Seattle and Bruce Parker of Hacienda Heights, and several nephews and nieces.

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 on May 4 in the campus auditorium.

Mullikin is survived by brothers Thomas W. Mullikin of Cape Carteret, N.C., and Richard A. Mullikin of Charlottesville, Va., and four nephews and two nieces.

Services for Mullikin will be announced at a later date.