It’s no wonder that James Mowry “Jim” Mitchell (BA ’49; MS ’51) chose to teach history; after all, his family helped make Tulsa history and also covered it for the news. His bequest to The University of Tulsa, known as the James M. Mitchell Endowment Fund for the Heritage Committee, helps ensure that his alma mater’s past will be preserved and enjoyed by students, friends, and alumni for many years to come.
Jim Mitchell was a native Tulsan who graduated from Central High School in 1943. Like so many young men of his time, he soon entered the armed forces to serve in World War II, where he became a member of the 101st Airborne Division before his 21st birthday. When he returned from the war, he continued his education, receiving his bachelor’s degree in history from TU, where he was a member of Pi Gamma Mu, a social sciences society; Kappa Delta Pi, an education honor society; and Future Teachers of America.
In 1950, for his master’s thesis, he wrote Politics in a Boomtown: Tulsa from 1906 to 1930, which was later used as source material for works on the Tulsa race riot.
His grandfather, James O. Mitchell, served as the eighth mayor (1906-07) and the tenth mayor (1909-10) of Tulsa, the first mayoral leader to serve two separate terms in Tulsa. He is remembered for helping West Tulsa (also known as Red Fork) become an industrial district. During his time in office, Tulsa laid its first paved road, and he helped develop the West End Hotel.
James M. Mitchell became a well-known educator, eventually heading the history department at Central High School after he received his degrees from TU. Jim’s older brother, Young O. Mitchell, Jr. (BS ’49), graduated from TU with a degree in journalism and worked as an assistant editor for the prestigious Oil and Gas Journal and then as News Editor for the Tulsa World. Young’s wife, Margaret Eloise Smith Mitchell, worked as a reporter for the Tulsa World for 25 years. TU and Tulsa lost Jim Mitchell on August 28, 2001, just three months after Young Mitchell died on May 24. Margaret had passed away on April 27, 1998.
When Jim Mitchell’s trust left a generous unrestricted gift to TU, his executors chose to honor his love of history and his alma mater. One executor, Marolyn Donnelly Stout, had been a student of TU President-Emeritus Ben Henneke, and she spoke with Dr. Henneke about an appropriate use for the funds. When he mentioned the TU Heritage Collection, they agreed that nothing could be more appropriate than to assist The University of Tulsa Alumni Association and its Heritage Committee with their ongoing work to collect, preserve, catalog, and display TU memorabilia.
The James M. Mitchell Endowment Fund for the Heritage Committee has helped the committee secure beautiful display cases for the Jill Zink Tarbel Room in Collins Hall, where the Heritage Collection is displayed. These cases contain the precious bits and pieces of TU’s past, including photos and Homecoming programs, uniforms and glassware, just to name a few of the items.
The University of Tulsa family appreciates this generous endowment gift, which will continue to inspire an interest in TU’s colorful history for generations to come.
