“George Mitchell was the quintessential Renaissance man,” Dancie Perugini Ware, his friend and longtime publicist said. “He never experienced the confines of time. He never really lived in the moment; he always belonged to the future and always dreamed big.”
George Phydias Mitchell achieved the American dream. He was born in Galveston to Greek immigrants, Katina and Mike Mitchell, in 1919. Mike, whose given name was Savvas Paraskevopoulos, never attended school. He supported the family with shoe-shining and pressing businesses but had a penchant for gaming tables. Ends didn’t always meet.
Katina prioritized education. Unfortunately, she died when George was 13. Ever resourceful, George paid tuition by selling lovesick freshmen personalized stationery to write girlfriends back home. Katina didn’t see George become captain of the tennis team or graduate as valedictorian from Texas A & M with a petroleum engineering and geology degree.
During college, a professor once told George if he worked for somebody, he’d drive a Chevy. If he worked for himself, he’d drive a Cadillac. After working briefly for Amoco and a stint in the Army during WWII, George founded Oil Drilling Company with several partners. He had a knack for finding oil and gas. The first 13 wells they drilled at “Frustration Fields” yielded natural gas where other companies failed. The business grew as did George’s family with Cynthia Woods Mitchell, whom he had married in 1943.
By the 1950s, George was driving a Cadillac – used and pink – but a Cadillac, nonetheless. And by 1965, he owned his own oil and gas company, had diversified into land development, and had 10 children.
Although the Mitchells lived in an upscale Houston neighborhood, planning seemed haphazard. The nearest grocery store was miles away. George envisioned a planned community where people of different races, religions, and financial means could live and work. “If an idea captured his imagination,” Dancie said, “he would tenaciously find its right application, then assemble the finest team to fulfill his dream — all for the benefit of others.”
His vision became The Woodlands and opened in 1974. Robert Heineman, an urban planner, was on George’s dream team from the start. Robert, who retired as VP of Planning and Development with Howard Hughes Corporation, said, “Mr. Mitchell was a true visionary. His goal was to build a new community that utilized new and updated planning concepts, while retaining the natural environment.” Trees lined main thoroughfares rather than businesses and signs. And each village had its own village center with stores and services.
With a heavy heart, George sold The Woodlands in 1997 to focus on Mitchell Energy. But there was a silver lining. After 17 years of research, his engineers refined fracking, making natural gas, a cleaner burning fuel, more accessible. George’s tenacity and innovative thinking had paid off. Soon after, George, now in his 80s, still playing tennis, and still driving a Cadillac, sold Mitchell Energy.
Throughout his career, George supported his hometown of Galveston. The natural gas George discovered bolstered the island’s economy. Later, the Mitchells restored over a dozen historic buildings in the Strand District. “He continually envisioned bold, innovative ways to enrich the landscape, architecture, character, and lifestyle of the island home he adored,” Dancie said.
After selling Mitchell Energy, the Mitchell’s already robust philanthropy skyrocketed. George contributed to sustainability, science, and answering the big questions — from climate change to how the universe was born. He donated millions to his alma mater’s physics and astronomy programs, forming a lasting friendship with theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in the process. He helped fund the Magellan telescope that searches for life in deep space. Closer to home, the Mitchells supported Alzheimer’s research after Cynthia was diagnosed with the disease. George committed half of his fortune to charity through the Giving Pledge.
George spent his last years in Galveston. “While he was a global thinker who influenced world markets, George loved the simple pleasures of his Galveston life above all: watching the sunset over Pier 21, crabs cooked any style, lingering with his coffee-club friends,” Dancie said, and “leaving his car key in the ignition, joking 'I hope someone steals it.'”
“If an idea captured his imagination,” Dancie Perugini Ware said, “he would tenaciously find its right application, then assemble the finest team to fulfill his dream — all for the benefit of others.”