Posted by William Nunnelley on 2011-01-31

 

Samuel J. Mitchell, who taught English at Samford University for more than three decades, died Jan. 29 at his home in Vestavia Hills, Ala.  He was 89.

            Mitchell taught at Samford from 1952 until his retirement in 1988, and remained an active supporter of the University until his death.  He also supported the Alabama Council of Teachers of English, which he helped found and of which he served three terms as president.

            He also served as president of the Association of College English Teachers of Alabama, and held various offices in the National College Teachers of English, Conference on College Composition and Communication, South Central Renaissance Conference, South Atlantic Modern Language Association and Phi Kappa Phi scholarship honor society.

            An Arkansas native, Mitchell held B.S. and M.A. degrees from the University of Texas, and did advanced studies at Texas and the University of London.  He was widely published in literary and professional journals.

            He was predeceased by his wife, Lizette Van Gelder Mitchell.

            Memorials may be made to the Mitchell Scholarship Fund at Samford.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.