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Marr P. Mullen, MD, passed away on November 27, 2020, at 91 years of age due to heart failure. He was one of the 37 Founding Members of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS). The remaining living Founding Members are David B. Levine, MD, G. Dean MacEwen, MD, Ronald L. DeWald, MD, and C. McCollister Evarts, MD.

Dr. Mullen was raised in Seattle, WA. He graduated from Dartmouth University in Hanover, NH, where he was a member of Gamma Phi Beta fraternity. He graduated in 1951 and then received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 1955. This was followed by an internship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle 1955–1956 and then 2 years as a captain in the USAF at Fairchild AFB in Spokane, WA. During that time he met and married his wife, Nancy. They were married for 62 years. They had two children and now have two grandchildren.

It was during his internship and time in the USAF that Dr. Mullen developed an interest in orthopaedic surgery. Following military service, he and Nancy returned to Seattle where he completed an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at the University of Washington. He then entered private practice in Seattle in general orthopaedic surgery with a special interest in scoliosis.

He developed an interest in scoliosis during residency. Although he did not do a scoliosis or spine fellowship, as they did not exist at that time, he did visit Paul R. Harrington, MD, in Houston, TX, as well as several other international centers doing innovative work in scoliosis surgery. This led to his association and friendship with many early pioneers in our society. He and James W. Tupper, MD, also from Seattle, were invited by John H. Moe, MD, to attend the First Meeting of the Scoliosis Research Society in Minneapolis, MN, in 1966. Both men became Founding Members of the SRS.

Dr. Mullen maintained a lifelong interest in the treatment of scoliosis and the care of involved children and adolescents. He had an affiliation with the University of Washington and ultimately became a Clinical Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. He had privileges and practiced part-time at Swedish Hospital, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Harborview Medical Center. He was an active member of numerous national, state and local medical associations and organizations as well as the SRS. These included the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Seattle Surgical Society, Washington State Medical Association, Washington State Orthopaedic Society, and the North Pacific Orthopaedic Society.

In summary, we owe Dr. Mullen our deepest gratitude in helping develop what most of us feel is one of the most successful clinical and academic orthopaedic societies in the world today. We also offer our condolences to his wife, Nancy. She was very helpful in preparation of this obituary and instrumental in providing information about the early years of the SRS.


George H. Thompson, MD.