Mitchell's wife, Cynthia, died in 2009. The oil and gas industry is lionizing George Phydias Mitchell, 94, who died at his home on Friday in Galveston, TX. Mitchell, a son of Greek immigrants, was the first to develop the Barnett shale field in Texas, later selling his company Mitchell Energy to Devon Energy for $3.5 billion in 2002. As active as they were in philanthropic endeavors, George maintained a keen focus on growing his energy and real estate business. Center A sculpture of The Woodlands founder George P. Mitchell stands over Town Green Park after it was unveiled Nov. 8. 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He graduated from Duke University, where he earned the Melcher Award for Excellence in Journalism and was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society. Consortium "His story was quintessentially American," his family said in a . While George Mitchell's long and colorful career made him a billionaire, friends and colleagues said he always stayed grounded. Mitchell is credited with pioneering unconventional drilling techniques that have opened up North Americas natural gas and oil potential. They shared an affinity for this eclectic seaside town, and, as civic leaders, looked for ways they could contribute to the town's fragile economy. "My grandparents, Cynthia and George Mitchell, had an unflagging dedication and devotion to investing in and supporting the Galveston community throughout their lives," said Katherine Lorenz, chair of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation board. "George P. Mitchell was raised as a child of meager means who, throughout his life, believed in giving back to the community that made his success possible and lending a hand to the less fortunate struggling to reach their potential. Mitchell's wife, Cynthia Woods Mitchell, died in 2009. George and Cynthia Mitchell of Houston, Texas, were both raised as children of meager means who, throughout their lives, believed in giving back to the community that made their success possible and lending a hand to the less fortunate struggling to reach their potential. "Because of Mitchell's persistence we are today witnessing an unprecedented boom in domestic energy production and the associated economic benefits in Texas and nationwide," Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman agreed Friday. [25][26] Mitchell died at the age of 94 on July 26, 2013, at his home in Galveston of natural causes, while surrounded by relatives. Donated Mitchell donated part of his wealth to the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, which supports programs for the efficient and wise use of Earth's resources. Installed in 1997, the sculpture is located at The Cynthia Woods . Mitchell, Texas oil man, real estate developer, and one of . Holditch said Mitchell's gifts to support the study of space grew out of his long-term interest; he had wanted to become an astrophysicist, but he didn't think he could make a living in the field after graduating first in Texas A&M's class of 1940. FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has talked up his team's bitter rivals in El Clasico, Real Madrid, as the favorites in a Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Thursday. [9] but production is expected to more than triple by 2020. [12], Mitchell was the developer of The Woodlands, an unincorporated yet governmentally structured township in Montgomery County, Texas, which he developed from timberland located 32 miles north of downtown Houston. Funeral arrangements were not immediately released. Cynthia Woods named after his wife Cynthia. Eugene Krantz and George Mitchell, following the History-Making Texan Award presentation, attend the Texas State History Museum Foundation?'s Ninth Annual Texas Independence Day Dinner. George's ethnicity is Caucasian, whose political affiliation is unknown; and religious views are listed as Christian. Trisha oversees marketing and sales for the property management division. Nonprofit "[19], Working with Meadows and other national leaders Mitchell created The Woodlands Conference series and the International George and Cynthia Mitchell Prize, both dedicated to sustainable development. Photographed Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005, in the Fairfield Room, Four Seasons Hotel. Theres no doubt that he helped make this world a better place.. Visitors stand on a bridge spanning across Cook's Branch stream while at the 5,650 acres of Cook's Branch Conservancy in Montgomery County north of Houston, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, in Montgomery. Mitchell had long believed that natural gas could be extracted economically from shale, well before anyone thought it was possible. Town Center Improvement District board of directors member Ed Robb and George Mitchell pose for a picture during the dedication of the George Mitchell statue at Town Green Park overlooking The Woodlands Waterway. To that list we must now add the name of George Phydias Mitchell, who passed away on July 26 at the age of 94. . The Woodlands is now home to about 100,000 people and one of the nation's busiest outdoor performing arts and entertainment venues there carries his wife's name, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. They tell stories, often about one another, and sometimes work in some informal business as well. The old wildcatter became a real estate developer, reinvesting the proceeds of the Devon sale in buying Bald Head Island in North Carolina and hotels in Galveston. Leadership. Always ambitious, George had nothing less on his mind than to create a new town, one better conceived than the decaying urban centers that had so concerned him and Cynthia. Based The oil billionaire and creator of The Woodlands was often seen casually strolling through the downtown tunnels at lunchtime. He also donated millions to Texas A&M, where the engineering school is named for him, and to the University of Houston. HOUCHRON CAPTION (06/22/2003): Cynthia Mitchell used to take care of George; now that she has Alzheimer's, he takes care of her. Entrepreneur George Mitchell joined Homart Chairman Michael Gregoire and executives from the four main mall tenants - Dillard's, Foley's, Mervyn's and Sears - in welcoming shoppers. New towns were mixed-use communities constructed in undeveloped areas. On Tuesday, the 6th of August at 5:30 p.m., a memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2216 Ball Street in Galveston, followed by a celebration of his life at Saengerfest Park, 23rd and Strand. ", "The biggest difference" among the towns, Shelton said, "is that The Woodlands had George Mitchell.". The vast majority of this amount is related to science, environmental sustainability, and sustainability science-related fields, including the foundation's current grant-making programs which focus on sustainability science, clean energy, water, and natural gas sustainability. And since The Woodlands Corp. was purchased in 1997 by new owners, clear-cutting was carried out in the area for the first time. [22][failed verification][19] Mitchell also founded the Houston Advanced Research Center that explores strategies for sustainable development at the regional level. "His presence, his efforts, his investment and his vision really began to transform the island into a higher-quality, greater-visibility tourist entity. Mitchell is often called the "father of fracking," but fracking had actually been common for decades before Mitchell's innovation paid off in 1997. COLLEGE STATION A decade after making his first million-dollar gift intended to help transform Texas A&M University into a world leader in fundamental physics and astronomy, Houston businessman George P. Mitchell has come full circle in that commitment with a $20 million legacy gift to benefit the namesake institute where it all began. He waited tables in the residence halls; he sold candy; he built bookcases; he had a tailoring concession. In addition, George and Cynthia Mitchell have donated personally or pledged in excess of $260 million to causes, programs, and institutions close to their hearts. Millions The township's main backer contributed land, capital and vision. He later would call it his most satisfying achievement. Cynthia Woods a few years later became his wife. He helped pay for his school costs by running a tailoring and laundry business in College Station and selling candy and stationery to his fellow student Aggies, then in later years became the school's largest benefactor with donations topping $95 million. Mitchell sold his energy company in 2002 for $3.1 billion. WOODLANDS HISTORY. Losing his salary arbitration case, and hearing what the Milwaukee Brewers said in his arbitration hearing has not been received well by pitching ace, Corbin Burnes. 2023 Forbes Media LLC. Since 2002, they have funded the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation with gifts of almost two million shares of Devon Energy stock. He graduated in 1940 with a degree in petroleum engineering with a specialty in geology. He is board chair of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. Sheridan Mitchell-Lorenz, daughter of legendary oil man George Mitchell, at Rosenberg Elementary on Wednesday, May 25, 2005. Tim Welbes and Alex Sutton, co-presidents of The Woodlands Development Company, unveil the statue, the latest in a series of tributes to Mitchell and his family, which include a school, a library, an entertainment venue and a nature preserve. The Potential Gas Committee estimates that U.S. recoverable reserves will last 118 years at current production levels. George started work as an independent consulting geologist and petroleum engineer, taking a modest fee and a small piece of the prospects he developed. He persuaded her to abandon her fianc and marry him. He was 94. . "He will be fondly remembered for flying in the face of convention focusing on what could be, with boundless determination many times fighting through waves of skepticism and opposition to achieve his vision.". C. Grant Mitchell is the board chair and president. Cynthia Mitchell Woods, an arts patron, environmentalist and historical preservationist was 87 when she passed. They received financial assistance from the federal government. Major Andrew Kragie is a metro reporter for the Houston Chronicle covering topics ranging from crime and courts to refugee resettlement and the rodeo. He would buy dilapidated properties, restore them and resell them with covenants ensuring their preservation. ( Karen Warren / Chronicle ), George P. Mitchell, Chairman and CEO of The Mitchell Family Corporation, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, in his downtown Houston office. The idea was a bit of a stretch, said Kyle Shelton, a program manager at Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Mitchell, the son of a Greek immigrant who ran a dry cleaning business in Galveston, became one of the wealthiest men in the U.S. Skip Ancestry main menu Main . [18], According to the National Academies of Science, "In the 1970s [Mitchell] helped sponsor the work of Dennis Meadows, whose Club of Rome study The Limits to Growth was a global wake-up call on the pressing need for sustainable energy technologies and food sources worldwide. In the early 1980s, Texas oil giant George Mitchell read an academic article arguing that economically extracting natural gas from shale rock just might be possible. 1.800.427.5747 The same techniques would also be used for oil. George is now married. The discovery was not a new oil or gas field, but rather a technique that the company developed to economically extract natural gas from otherwise unproductive shale rock. He graduated as the valedictorian in his class and was also the captain of the men's tennis team. Some people thought it was stupid," Dan Steward, a geologist who began working with the Texas natural gas firm Mitchell Energy in 1981 told The Associated Press in an interview last year. 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