IN MEMORIAM
James C. Mitchell 1944-2024
85th Elder Watson Diggs Awardee, Past Senior Grand Vice Polemarch, Past Member of Grand Board of Directors, 18th Southwestern Province Polemarch, Corporate Executive, Businessman, U.S. Army
“During my first term as the Grand Polemarch, I had the pleasure of work- ing with Brother Mitchell as our Senior Grand Vice Polemarch. His commit- ment and dedication to Kappa Alpha Psi evinced a clear understanding of what it means to give of self while expecting noth- ing in return. Brother Mitchell was unselfish and tenacious- ly devoted to others, especially our under- graduates. The legacy of Brother Mitchell reaches far beyond his tenure on this earth. To be sure, it will be embraced and appreciated by those who have reached the Golden Shores of Chapter Invisible.”
P ast Senior Grand Vice Polemarch James C. Mitchell, the 85th Elder Watson
drafted into the U.S. Army. After his honorable dis- charge, Mitchell joined the Texas Instruments (TI) Defense Group as an equipment engineer. Mitchell held numerous leadership positions at TI. In 1990, Mitchell joined SC Group Human Resources as Staffing/EEO/ Diversity Manager, where he chaired the company’s cross-functional staffing Quality Steering team. In 1996, TI Board of Direc- tors elected Mitchell as Vice-President-Corporate Staff. Mitchell was the first African American at IT. After retiring from TI in 2001, Mitchell became the owner and CEO of SMP Enterprises (Saint Martin’s Place). Mitchell renovated and restored a historic early 1900s mansion in south Dallas and named the facility Saint Martin’s Place, a popu- lar event venue for meeting rooms, wedding receptions, engagement dinners, and
formal social events. Mitchell joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., as a 1978 initiate of the Dallas (TX) Alumni (DAC) Chap- ter. The chapter elected him as its 21st Polemarch in 1981, leading the chapter for two years. Mitchell played a sig- nificant role in the DAC’s history. Along with other DAC members, he spear- headed an initiative to secure outside funding for chapter programming. He was a charter member of the Guide Right Foundation, the DAC’s 501(c) 3 entity. Later, Mitchell conceived of establishing the DAC Life Membership Program to produce seed fund- ing required for DAC to purchase or build a facility to serve as headquarters for DAC and the foundation. Mitchell led the chapter’s long-sought effort to obtain a chapter house in 1990. In raising funds to help achieve that goal, Mitchell became
Diggs Awardee, entered the Chapter Invisible on March 24, 2024. A past Southwest- ern Province Polemarch, Mitchell was an influential figure within the province and his chapter, Dallas (TX) Alumni. On March 25, 2024, Grand Polemarch Jimmy McMikle decreed a 30-day period of mourning within Kappa Alpha Psi in obser- vance of Mitchell’s passing. James Curtis Mitchell was born on April 8, 1944, in Pittsburg, TX, to the late Jimmie Mitchell, Sr., and Elle Mae Mitchell Heath. After graduating from Pittsburg’s Frederick Douglass High School, Mitchell attended Prairie View A&M Univer- sity (PVAMU). He graduated with a B.S. degree in elec- tronic engineering in 1965. Mitchell initially worked for McDonnell-Douglas before, in 1966, he was
- Robert L. Harris, Esq. 27th Grand Polemarch, 56th Laurel Wreath Laureate
the DAC’s first ‘Lifetime member.’ He also
held life membership with the Grand Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi and the South- western Province.
72 THE JOURNAL ♦ FALL 2023
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker