Paul Mullen passed away at his home in Savannah, Georgia, on December 24, 2009. Paul had been our graduate student and remained our friend. His sense of humor was legendary: mordant, witty, and always to the point. His untimely death brought to an end a life filled with accomplishment. Paul Mullen had managed to fill his life with several careers. His first career had been as an attorney. As well as working in private practice for several years, he also was Assistant Attorney General for the state of West Virginia. He specialized in labor law and was head of the section in the Attorney General's Office responsible for litigation in that field.
After becoming somewhat disenchanted with the practice of law, Paul decided to return to graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh. While there, he specialized in European politics and used his background in law to good effect in studying judicial politics in the United States and the European Union. He received his Ph.D. and a Certificate in West European Studies in 2002. During his time in graduate school, he also spent one semester at the European University Institute on a European Community Studies Association Marshall Fellowship. His experience at the EUI was important, because it allowed him to make contact with major scholars in EU law, such as Giuliano Amato. While there, he became interested in the governance implications of the multilingual nature of the Union, a subject he had planned to develop in his future research.
After leaving graduate school, Paul took his first academic job at Florida International University, where he taught European politics and public law. Using experience gained assisting in writing proposals for the Center for West European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, he was active in writing proposals for the European Union Center while at Florida International. He also spent time doing research at the Vrije University of Brussels during his time there. In 2007, Paul moved to Armstrong Atlantic State University, again teaching European politics and public law. In both positions, he demonstrated an outstanding ability to communicate with his students and his commitment to developing their abilities in and out of the classroom.
Paul had a range of research interests that integrated European studies and his knowledge of public law. He was interested in the comparison of American and European law, especially the development of court politics in the European Union. He also was one of the few people to investigate the importance of translation within an increasingly polyglot European Union and how that affected not only implementation, but also the administrative processes within the Union itself. He had a very lively mind that led him in a number of interesting directions and promised an impressive scholarly record.
Everyone who knew Paul Mullen appreciated his amazing sense of humor. His e-mail messages may have had a serious purpose, but they would be filled with political and social commentary that was at once humorous and very pointed. A phone call with Paul was a combination of an academic discussion and a stand-up comedy routine. Perhaps most remarkable was his capacity to retain this good humor in the face of life-threatening health problems and other challenges. He was facing serious challenges but tried not to let his friends understand just how serious they were.
Paul Mullen's passing is a great loss for his many friends, colleagues, and students. He was an all-too-rare combination of academic ability and personal warmth. He will be greatly missed by us all.
