[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 18 (Thursday, February 2, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING DR. CAROL MITCHELL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to commemorate African 
American History Month by honoring one of the exceptional Americans who 
resides in our district in Omaha.
  Dr. Carol Mitchell's career of public service and her dedication to 
education has made her a true hero and an inspiration to us all.
  Dr. Mitchell was born and raised in, what was at the time, a 
segregated Port Arthur, Texas. Her identical twin sister, Bishop Sarah 
Davis, graduated as covaledictorians from Lincoln High School in Port 
Arthur. After graduation, she attended North Texas State University in 
Denton. North Texas State University afforded Dr. Mitchell her first 
educational experience with an integrated school.
  During this time, Carol had the fortune of studying chemistry and 
geology at Morris Brown College and at Emory University through summer 
education programs.
  Dr. Mitchell and her sister, who also attended North Texas State 
University, were the first African Americans initiated into the North 
Texas Green Jackets, a student community service organization further 
cultivating Dr. Mitchell's love for public service and education.
  In 1970, after graduating from North Texas State University with a 
bachelor of science in secondary education, Dr. Mitchell married her 
husband, Glenn Mitchell, and moved to Omaha, Nebraska. In Omaha, she 
continued her work in public service, teaching science and chemistry 
for 15 years at Omaha Burke High School, culminating as the supervisor 
of all science education for the entire Omaha public school system.
  In 1991, Dr. Mitchell took an instructor position at the University 
of Nebraska Omaha, and for the next 22 years, Dr. Mitchell educated 
future science teachers in the college of education. It was during this 
time that Dr. Mitchell earned her doctoral degree from the University 
of Nebraska-Lincoln.
  Dr. Mitchell's public service went far beyond just the Omaha and 
Midwestern region, to include work and study abroad. Among her many 
postdoctoral accomplishments, she twice had the honor of working at 
Oxford University in England and through her service with the African 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and she conducted Summer Science Institute 
courses in chemistry and biology for students and teachers and 
countries across Southern Africa.
  Since 1991, she has received 21 awards, including the STEM Legacy 
Award from the Empowerment Network earlier this year, and the UNO 
Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009.
  Dr. Mitchell has led a vibrant and inspiring life of public service 
in education and has worked to enrich the lives of all of her students 
and coworkers through her love of science and education.
  Her many accolades and awards throughout her life as a student, 
educator, and public servant attest to the legacy she has left.
  Though starting life with the challenges of a segregated community, 
she has persevered to obtain the epitome of success and enhance our 
communities and Nation. Undoubtedly, Dr. Mitchell has had a lifetime of 
influence, and her legacy will endure for many generations to come.

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