James "Dick" Mitchell photograph collection
Collection
Identifier: P1301
Scope and Contents
The James "Dick" Mitchell photograph collection includes digital-only scans of images and newspaper clippings of Mitchell's skiing and Vietnam Air Force service and images of his LDS mission in California; it also contains color slides documenting Mitchell's hobbies of yachting, racing, and aviation.
Dates
- 1949-1997
Creator
- Mitchell, James Richard, 1929-2015 (Person)
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Conditions Governing Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Biographical Note
James R. “Dick” Mitchell (1929-2015) was born in Ogden, Utah to Ralph and Louise Fisher Mitchell. He attended Weber College for two years before serving an LDS mission in California around 1950; when he returned, he married Helen Daines, with whom he had four children before the two divorced. He studied business management at the University of Utah, graduating in 1953; in 1967, he returned to obtain an MBA. In the 1980s, he remarried to Betty Rizzo; the two divorced after having one son together.
Dick was a veteran, joining in the army in 1953, after graduating with his BA. “He entered the U.S. Air Force, serving his entire career as a fighter pilot in Europe and Asia, including Vietnam where he flew 149 combat sorties in an F-105 fighter bomber.” He was involved in the evacuation of Americans and Vietnamese from Saigon on April 27, 1975. Dick retired from active duty in the military in 1977 at the rank of Colonel. “During his military career Dick was awarded the Silver Star for valor in combat, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, ten Air Medals, two Bronze Stars, a Commendation Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal and a Purple Heart.”
“Dick was an avid skier and ski racer and remained so for most of his life. He was captain of the University of Utah ski team and won the NCAA downhill title in 1953. He also won a place on the U.S. Olympic Ski Team and went to Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in 1956.” In 2017, Dick was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame. In addition to his military service and passion for skiing, Dick was an avid aviator and yachter. In the 1990s, he built and few his own LANCAIR airplane. Source: “James R. (Dick) Mitchell,” Obituary, Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT), May 8, 2015.
Dick was a veteran, joining in the army in 1953, after graduating with his BA. “He entered the U.S. Air Force, serving his entire career as a fighter pilot in Europe and Asia, including Vietnam where he flew 149 combat sorties in an F-105 fighter bomber.” He was involved in the evacuation of Americans and Vietnamese from Saigon on April 27, 1975. Dick retired from active duty in the military in 1977 at the rank of Colonel. “During his military career Dick was awarded the Silver Star for valor in combat, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, ten Air Medals, two Bronze Stars, a Commendation Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal and a Purple Heart.”
“Dick was an avid skier and ski racer and remained so for most of his life. He was captain of the University of Utah ski team and won the NCAA downhill title in 1953. He also won a place on the U.S. Olympic Ski Team and went to Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in 1956.” In 2017, Dick was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame. In addition to his military service and passion for skiing, Dick was an avid aviator and yachter. In the 1990s, he built and few his own LANCAIR airplane. Source: “James R. (Dick) Mitchell,” Obituary, Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT), May 8, 2015.
Extent
1 Box
Abstract
Photographs and newspaper clippings documenting Dick Mitchell's ski and military careers, including his participation in the 1956 Olympics and his work in the 1975 evacuation of Saigon during the Vietnam War. The collection also contains a scrapbook of Mitchell's LDS mission in California; Mitchell's military awards; and images of Mitchell's pursuits of yachting and aviation in the 1980s and 1990s.
Arrangement
Arranged by subject.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by John Mitchell in 2016.
Processing Information
Processed by Claire A. Kempa in 2021.
- California -- 1950-1960 -- Photographs
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Color slides
- Digital images
- Latter Day Saints -- Missions -- Photographs
- Photographs
- Skis and skiing -- Photographs
- Sports and Recreation
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Aerial operations, American -- Photographs
- Winter Olympics (7th : 1956 : Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy)
Creator
- Mitchell, James Richard, 1929-2015 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the James "Dick" Mitchell photograph collection, 1949-1997
- Author
- Finding aid created by Claire A. Kempa.
- Date
- © 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.
Revision Statements
- 2022: Finding aid revised and re-encoded by Sara Davis
Repository Details
Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu