Phillip Earl Mullen was born January 22, 1913 in Mountain View, Missouri. He married his wife, Faye, in 1932 and at age 20 moved to Oxford, Mississippi where his father bought The Oxford Eagle. He wrote his first column in February of 1933. He started at the age of 13 to learn the printing business and from then on he was printer and writer. He worked at newspapers in Paris, TN; Holly Springs, MS; Homestead, FL; Canton, MS; Osceola, AR; and Oxford, MS.
Mullen and the papers where he worked amassed dozens of national and state press awards for the professionalism he brought into community journalism. Under his and his father’s guidance, the Madison County Herald won second place in its circulation category in the NEA’s National Newspaper Contest in 1966 and third place in 1967.
During much of his career, he also authored his “Moonbeams” column, which offered readers an insightful glimpse into the trials and tribulations of life in small-town Mississippi.
Mullen served in the Infantry from March, 1943 to November, 1945. He was a Special Service Sergeant at Camp Fanning in Texas. He edited and published a daily one page edition of a newspaper for the Regiment (G-Days) called “Fannin The Breeze”. In December 1943, Phil and his father published a holiday issue of The Eagle of 72 pages called the “G.I.” Issue. Phil wrote articles on training and soldier life from his experiences in the Army. He dedicated the issue to Lafayette County’s men in the service.
Mullen served in the Mississippi Legislature from 1948 until 1952. He was a life long supporter of Harry Truman and helped keep Truman’s name on the ballot in 1948. Mullen visited the Oval Office twice while he was a supporter of Truman. He wrote a column titled “Country boy tells of thrilling inaugural experiences”.
Mullen was an admirer and friend of William Faulkner and was proud that Faulkner turned to him in 1949 to help with all the publicity after Faulkner won the Nobel prize that year. Mullen worked with the Ford Foundation on a TV movie about Faulkner.
Mullen was proud of the picture he made of William and John Faulkner. It is the only one ever taken of the two together. Faulkner gave the graduation address to his daughter’s Class of 1951. Mullen was given the manuscript of that address and it was printed in the Oxford Eagle first.
Retired in 1981 after he and his partners sold the Osceola (AR) Times. He continued writing articles for the Times until his death.
