Mrs. Mitchell, along with HARC founder George P. Mitchell and Dr. Peter Raven(l), head of the National Academy of Sciences Mitchell Prize selection committee, congratulate 2001 Mitchell Prize winner Ray Anderson.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell
1922-2009

The entire HARC family mourns the loss of our dear friend Cynthia Woods Mitchell, wife of HARC founder George P. Mitchell and mother of J. Todd Mitchell, chairman of the HARC Board since 2000, and Greg Mitchell, member of the HARC Board.

"All of us at HARC hold a special affection for Cynthia Woods Mitchell," said HARC President Bob Harriss. "She leaves a lasting legacy to so many for whom her generosity was boundless. We at HARC remember her most fondly for her active participation in the George and Cynthia Mitchell International Prize for Sustainable Development."ÂCreated in 1974, the Mitchell Prize and related conference series at HARC, were established to encourage research into the relationship between the environment and population.

Dr. Harriss added that "HARC and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston recently collaborated on a symposium and festival on Systems of  Sustainability: Art, Action, and Innovation. This highly successful event is being followed by a joint project designed to develop an integrated art and science curriculum for use in secondary schools in the Third and Fifth Wards of Houston."

Mrs. Mitchell is widely recognized for her support and devotion to artistic, scientific, environmental, literary and humanitarian causes. Her generosity extended to the University of Houston, Houston Symphony, The Woodlands Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Ballet, among others. Her special fondness for the arts took her near and far -- from Washington, D.C. where she co-chaired the Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to closer to home where she supported the Houston Youth Symphony and Ballet, and the University of Houston’s Texas Music Festival (which featured the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artists Competition).ÂAs a compassionate defender of childhood physical and emotional well-being, Cynthia also sponsored Kid-Care, The United Way, and established the Global Children’s Foundation that provides safe havens to children affected by war.

The Mitchell marriage, which spanned six decades, produced 10 children, 23 grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. The Mitchell partnership was highly successful, developing major real estate and oil and gas holdings; creating a visionary new town, The Woodlands, and its premier outdoor performance arts venue, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion; and preserving and revitalizing their beloved Galveston Island.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. January 4 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston, followed by a reception at the Tremont House.

The Houston Symphony is planning a special concert in celebration of Mrs. Mitchell’s life on April 29 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands.