Chuck Mullins attended Prentiss schools up until his last high school year when his family moved to Jackson and he graduated from Forrest Hill High School in 1975.

He attended Hinds Community College and then Dallas Baptist University to receive his bachelors in business administration.

The son of Ray and Marilyn Mullins, along with his brother Rusty and sister Carol, enjoyed the pleasures of rural Jeff Davis County. They attended Whitesand Baptist Church.

“I remember just after I was baptized there they were beginning to build a new church building,” states Mullins. “As the newest member I got to throw out the first dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony with the oldest member.”

Mullins states his first part-time job was at Hudson’s Drug Store. Some of his “hang with” friends included David Dale, John Green, Sam Smith, Jim Polk and Truitt Hall as well as Duke Garraway and Mike Boleware.

“When we got old enough to drive we’d go from Y to Y (one end of town to the other),” laughs Mullins, “We’d pull up at the Triangle and listen to Proud Mary on the 8-track. We had a lot of innocent fun.”

“Joe Lee, who was my uncle but closer to a cousin, taught me to play the guitar,” states Mullins. “David Dale, Sam Smith and I had a band and John Green was our singer. We played around the house and for some school functions and stuff just having fun.”

“Uncle Dan Mullins farmed,” he remembers, “and we boys spent a lot of time with him. He taught me how to work hauling hay, helping with the cattle and made it fun. He sort of watched out for the kids in the community.”

“I had lots of great teachers who influenced my life. In about 5th grade Ms. Polk used to read the Hardy Boys stories to us after lunch each day. I still keep a book going all the time. There were a lot of those in Whitesand Church who also were important influences.”

Mullins states his dad was in the car business and that is what really got him started in it. “I really didn’t intend to make it my career. I worked there through college and liked the interaction with customers and employees and fell in love with it.”

Mullins met Karen Buck, while in Jackson, they married then moved to Dallas for school and he decided to continue in car sales until he found something else he wanted to do but never found anything he wanted to do more.

In Dallas, Mullins became sales manager and then took an opportunity offered him in Scottsdale, Arizona to become general manager of the new Chevrolet dealership and later as the business expanded buying in as a partner.

For over 23 years now Mullins has been a part of the biggest dealership in Scottsdale.

Though Mississippi is still in their blood and say they haven’t lost their southern drawl, Mullins says the two of them will probably retire in Scottsdale to do their favorite things: spend family time with the families of Nichols and Steven, and daughter Kelly, and 11 grandchildren, play a little golf and relax at their second home in the white mountains of Arizona where tall pines and gravel roads are reminders of their southern heritage.