Prominent alumna and philanthropist Cynthia Woods Mitchell, died Dec. 27 at age 87, after almost a decade of living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Mitchell was a valued donor to various projects and causes, most of which involved her love for the arts.
“She was a visionary philanthropist whose dedication to the arts was apparent in the founding of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center,” Karen Farber, director of UH’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, said in an e-mail.
Mitchell was an enthusiastic supporter of the arts and believed that everyone, not just the wealthy, should be able to enjoy musical performances. This desire became a reality when the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion was created in The Woodlands.
Mitchell’s philanthropy extends throughout Houston, Galveston and College Station.
For UH, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts remains her greatest legacy.
With a $20 million donation from Mitchell, the center has been able to cultivate collaborations between performing, visual and literary arts.
“Just as she lived a productive and creative life with extraordinary commitment to our community, she has left a legacy that will fuel creativity for future generations in our community and far beyond,” UH President Renu Khator said in a release.
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts went through renovations in 2005 and 2006 and was renamed in October 2006 to honor Mitchell’s long-standing support for the arts.
“Mrs. Mitchell’s and the Mitchell family’s commitment to create the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts — a center that celebrates the arts and encourages collaboration — has helped to position UH arts as one of the University’s key priorities,” Khator said.
Mitchell was also a generous donor to UH’s Texas Music Festival and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. She also created UH’s Distinguished Authors Program.
“Mrs. Mitchell and her family’s generosity has made dozens of significant new artworks possible and left a lasting legacy that will continue to infuse the entire University and City of Houston with creativity and innovation. On behalf of the Mitchell Center board and staff, I extend the deepest sympathy and gratitude to the Mitchell family,” Faber said in an e-mail.
Cynthia Loretta Woods and her identical twin sister, Pamela, were born Sept. 24, 1922 in New York. Mitchell moved to Carrollton, Ill., and later to Jacksonville, Fla., with her mother and sister. After graduating from high school, Mitchell and her family moved to Houston in 1939. She enrolled at UH, studying art, literature and psychology.
In 1943, she married George P. Mitchell, who later started a successful oil and gas company, Mitchell Energy & Development. In 2002, Mitchell Energy & Development was sold to Devon Energy.
In the 1970s, her husband’s success became well known, and the Mitchell family gained prominence in the city. The Mitchells sponsored several conferences about the perils of excessive population growth and were heavily involved in the effort to restore the historic Galveston downtown district.
In her obituary, her family describes her as an energetic mother who tried to create order in her family through laughter and fun.
Mitchell is survived by her husband, 10 children, 23 grandchildren, four great grandchildren and her twin sister.
