For someone who grew up on a small farm in Pontotoc, Carolyn Sullivan didn’t seem to retain very much of her rustic roots.
She was not an early riser, for example, often sleeping in until late in morning before turning her attention to work. She didn’t seem to cater much to the plain, simple clothing you associate with a “country girl,” either. She had an eye for style. She dressed well, always seemed to be perfectly put-together — elegant and refined in her tastes.
But there was one quality she retained from her Depression-era upbringing.
“Her work ethic. That’s what stands out to me,” said Steve Langston, Carolyn Sullivan’s son-in-law and now CEO of Sullivan’s Office Supply Inc., a business founded 61 years ago by Carolyn and her husband, Dan.
Carolyn Sullivan, 89, died Wednesday following a stroke and was laid to rest Sunday in a small private ceremony necessitated by restrictions related to the COVID-19 virus.
In normal circumstances, her funeral might have been among the largest such gatherings in Starkville, given her ties to the community. After the business moved from Eupora to downtown Starkville in 1963, Sullivan’s has remained an important cornerstone downtown through good times and bad.
Sullivan’s deep devotion to downtown was reflected not only in the growth of the family business, but throughout downtown.
“She was always concerned about all of the businesses downtown,” said Peggy Buckley, whose own family has been operating downtown businesses since the 1940s. “We had a downtown association at first, then we started the first Main Street Association and now we have the (Greater Starkville Development) Partnership. Carolyn was involved in all of them over the years, and actively involved. She just had that determined way about her to make things better.”
Buckley, then Peggy Mullins, and her husband, Sonny Mullins, opened Mullins Department Store in 1955. The Mullins’ son, Larry, now owns a financial services firm on the same block as Sullivan’s on Lafayette Street.
The two families quickly formed a bond that has lasted six decades.
Langston was dating the Sullivans’ daughter, Linda, at the time he started work at the company in 1970 while studying engineering at Mississippi State. Soon, he became drawn to the business and never left.
Larry Mullins, meanwhile, worked with his parents at their department store. Larry’s family and Steve’s family are the closest of friends.
“Carolyn and my mom were both very active in the downtown and Main Street programs,” Larry Mullins said. “They both really poured a lot of time and energy into downtown in good times and bad. Carolyn had so much pride in downtown.”
Downtown Starkville was once the domain of a handful of family-owned businesses that had operated downtown for decades. In 2000, Sonny Mullins died and the department store closed, leaving Carolyn Sullivan as the unofficial Matriarch of Main Street.
“Aside from her Sunday school class, she really didn’t have any hobbies,” Langston said. “The business was where she devoted her time and energy, real right up until near the end.”
Buckley marveled at her friend’s drive, even as she moved into her 80s.
“She’d be up at the store all hours, sometimes to midnight or later,” Buckley said. “I think even before Don passed, she had a lot more say in what went on there than she let on. She was very much in the middle of everything.”
Langston said his mother-in-law genuinely enjoyed the work, especially some of the more mundane tasks.
“She loved writing the checks,” Langston said. “And she liked going to the post office, too. She would usually come in around lunch time, have lunch at her desk and stay there late. I think she liked being there at night, when she could take her time and relax. She lived only about four blocks from the store, so she was never far away. She loved the store and loved working in it.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.