significant senior
A Self-Proclaimed “Late Bloomer”
By Linda Hitt Kempf
Gene Mulhall gives new meaning to “It’s
never too late to do what you love.”Quick
witted and with a passion for writing
plays, at 73 he is remarkable and
captivating. He has become a playwright
in his seventies. His life alone would
make a good production.
“Honestly, my first attempt at writing plays was like painting in the closet,” he says. “I
feel passionate about writing because it makes me think. Many writers prefer to write
when the mood strikes. Deadlines have strengths and weaknesses: sure, they make
you finish but did you enjoy the journey and is it the best piece of work you could have
done?”
Gene was born in 1933 and his father was personnel manager for Brown-Forman.
“Mom and Dad placed a strong emphasis on grammar, English, and especially getting
out of the house. Understandably so, considering 11 people lived in my grandfather’s
one-bathroom home in the Highlands. There were six kids, Mom, Dad, my two
grandparents, and one aunt who hogged everyone’s allotted bathroom time.”
After graduating from Atherton High School, Gene spent one semester at University of
Kentucky. In 1952, he started drawing maps for the Army Map Service and was drafted
in1954. He was assigned to Army Mapping School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia’s
Engineering Complex and upon graduation, became an instructor there.
“Next, I was chosen for Engineering Intelligence in Europe as a member of the Terrain
Intelligence Team. My group began with four men and one officer. One fellow became
director of the Smithsonian Institute. Another member later designed the BART Subway
System in San Francisco. They were the smartest men I ever met. I knew to keep my
mouth shut and just listen around them considering I rarely understood what they
talked about. We remained friends.”
After the army, Gene enrolled at the University of Louisville through the G.I. Bill. He
says his life took ”an upward turn” because in 1959 he married the “love of his life,”
Carol. After graduating, he taught school until becoming assistant director of Planning
and Design for Urban Renewal. The couple has three children. Their oldest child,
Colin, is an electrical engineer from UofL’s Speed School. Sean is a professor at UofL
School of Music, and Kyle is a lawyer in Washington, D.C. for a government
contracting firm.
Gene worked as a freelance architectural designer and became the concept designer
for the original River Park Development. In 1973, he joined UofL Medical School as
coordinator of the Art Department at the Health Sciences Center. Later he transferred
to coordinator of Copyright Clearances, Belknap Campus.
Eventually his interest shifted from visual arts and painting to writing plays. “I have
seven plays actually. One of my comedies, The Making of Margie produced by the
Louisville Repertory Theatre, was a wonderful experience. I have comedies and one
major two-act play about life as a tragedy that we all survive. It reflects the tragedy of
actress and singer Doretta Morrow. I want my plays to be entertaining with substance,
a message, about life.”
Currently Gene has a one person, five-minute play about insecurity. “All I need is a
willing actor, stage, and director,” he laughed.
A Self-Proclaimed “Late Bloomer”
By Linda Hitt Kempf
Gene Mulhall gives new meaning to “It’s
never too late to do what you love.”Quick
witted and with a passion for writing
plays, at 73 he is remarkable and
captivating. He has become a playwright
in his seventies. His life alone would
make a good production.
“Honestly, my first attempt at writing plays was like painting in the closet,” he says. “I
feel passionate about writing because it makes me think. Many writers prefer to write
when the mood strikes. Deadlines have strengths and weaknesses: sure, they make
you finish but did you enjoy the journey and is it the best piece of work you could have
done?”
Gene was born in 1933 and his father was personnel manager for Brown-Forman.
“Mom and Dad placed a strong emphasis on grammar, English, and especially getting
out of the house. Understandably so, considering 11 people lived in my grandfather’s
one-bathroom home in the Highlands. There were six kids, Mom, Dad, my two
grandparents, and one aunt who hogged everyone’s allotted bathroom time.”
After graduating from Atherton High School, Gene spent one semester at University of
Kentucky. In 1952, he started drawing maps for the Army Map Service and was drafted
in1954. He was assigned to Army Mapping School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia’s
Engineering Complex and upon graduation, became an instructor there.
“Next, I was chosen for Engineering Intelligence in Europe as a member of the Terrain
Intelligence Team. My group began with four men and one officer. One fellow became
director of the Smithsonian Institute. Another member later designed the BART Subway
System in San Francisco. They were the smartest men I ever met. I knew to keep my
mouth shut and just listen around them considering I rarely understood what they
talked about. We remained friends.”
After the army, Gene enrolled at the University of Louisville through the G.I. Bill. He
says his life took ”an upward turn” because in 1959 he married the “love of his life,”
Carol. After graduating, he taught school until becoming assistant director of Planning
and Design for Urban Renewal. The couple has three children. Their oldest child,
Colin, is an electrical engineer from UofL’s Speed School. Sean is a professor at UofL
School of Music, and Kyle is a lawyer in Washington, D.C. for a government
contracting firm.
Gene worked as a freelance architectural designer and became the concept designer
for the original River Park Development. In 1973, he joined UofL Medical School as
coordinator of the Art Department at the Health Sciences Center. Later he transferred
to coordinator of Copyright Clearances, Belknap Campus.
Eventually his interest shifted from visual arts and painting to writing plays. “I have
seven plays actually. One of my comedies, The Making of Margie produced by the
Louisville Repertory Theatre, was a wonderful experience. I have comedies and one
major two-act play about life as a tragedy that we all survive. It reflects the tragedy of
actress and singer Doretta Morrow. I want my plays to be entertaining with substance,
a message, about life.”
Currently Gene has a one person, five-minute play about insecurity. “All I need is a
willing actor, stage, and director,” he laughed.
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