Mulford Jr., Harold A. 'Hal'

Harold A. “Hal” Mulford Jr. 89, of rural Iowa City, died Thursday, June 28, 2012, at Lantern Park Nursing & Rehab Center in Coralville. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City.

Harold A Mulford was born in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 19, 1922, to Harold A Mulford Sr. and Fairy Flo Mulford (Paulin) and was raised on a farm in Plymouth County, Iowa. He joined the Navy in 1940 and served in many major battles of World War II in both the Pacific and Atlantic, receiving a Purple Heart for injuries suffered in the Battle of Guadalcanal when his ship the Astoria was sunk, and a special commendation from Admiral Harold Stark for his special range-finding abilities on D-Day. He was the sole rangefinder on the U.S.S. Thompson and was honored for taking out top German officials at Normandy Beach. He was discharged from the Navy in 1945.

He received his bachelor's degree in 1947 from Morningside College and then his M.A. (1950) and Ph.D. (1954) in sociology from the University of Iowa, spending the majority of his career as a world-renowned research pioneer in the field of alcohol studies at the University of Iowa. Before that he taught at Northwest Missouri State College for five years. In addition to his research and teaching, he served as director of Oakdale Alcoholism Treatment/Training Center, University of Iowa College of Medicine, from 1972–1977. In 1976, the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development cited the program as a model community self-help effort and recognized it as a National Bicentennial Project.

He helped numerous Iowa local communities to develop their own self-help locally founded and controlled alcoholism programs. He authored many articles on various aspects of drinking practices, drinking problems, treatment evaluation and alcohol consumption related to alcohol availability.

He was known for his great curiosity and passion for the sciences, nature, politics and human nature. He loved gardening, reading and family. He always had a joke or two to share and never lost his faith in the American people. One of his greatest pleasures in his later years was writing memoirs of his many adventures of both battle and boyhood. He was a member of the Gray Hawks Retirees Writers group.

In 1948, he married the love of his life, Amy Mulford (Mattson), and together they had three children.

Surviving are his wife, Amy; son, Grant Mulford (Patty) of Granada Hills, Calif.; daughter, Deborah Mulford of Lakewood, Colo.; and daughter, Teresa Buchanan (Alec) of Guilford, Conn.; and grandchildren, Justin Sidwell, Natalie Mulford, Danny Mulford, Sara Mulford, Calum Buchanan, Anna Buchanan and Aidan Buchanan.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and a sister, Barbara Wells.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade St., Iowa City, IA 52240; The Salvation Army Corps, 1116 Gilbert Ct., Iowa City, IA 52240; or the Harold A. Mulford Development Fund for Alcoholism Research, the University of Iowa Foundation.

Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Hal's family and his services.

Published June 30, 2012 in The Gazette