The Woodlands Lifestyles & Homes magazine Feb 2010: Cynthia Woods Mitchell

Cynthia Woods Mitchell, who passed away on Dec. 27, leaves an abundant legacy from her lifelong devotion to personal and charitable interests.

Born one of identical twins on Sept. 24, 1922, in New York City, Cynthia and her sister, Pamela, were raised by a single mother during the Great Depression. The family came to Houston in 1939 where Cynthia studied literature, art and psychology at the University of Houston. In 1941, while traveling by train from College Station to Houston, she met Lt. George Mitchell. In 1943, at the height of World War II, then Capt. George Mitchell and Cynthia Woods were married in a double wedding ceremony with her sister and brother-in-law. The Mitchell ’s marriage and partnership spanned six decades and included 10 children, 23 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

The Mitchell partnership was equally as prolific outside the home, developing major real estate and oil and gas holdings; creating the visionary new town of The Woodlands and its premier outdoor performance arts venue, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion; and preserving and revitalizing Galveston Island.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2002, Cynthia died at home at the age of 87, surrounded by family. Cynthia met her diagnosis with optimism and dignity, retaining a zest for life and quick sense of humor, even as the disease progressed. George poured resources and attention into Alzheimer ’s research, funding Dr. Claudio A. Soto’s contributions at the George and Cynthia Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and the George P. and Cynthia Mitchell Center for Research on Alzheimer ’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders at The University of Texas Health Science Center and Dr. Rachelle S. Doody ’s work at Baylor College of Medicine.

As a young mother, Cynthia led multiple troops of Girl Scouts and Brownies, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, and served on the board of the Houston Girl Scouts. She held leadership roles in the parent teachers associations of Houston and Spring Branch school districts and volunteered at Trinity Episcopal Church and Texas Children ’s Hospital. Her extraordinary dedication to family, community, and philanthropy was boundless and contagious, creating a culture of service and contribution within her own family.

Cynthia’s philanthropic interests included historic restoration, the environment, the arts and her alma mater, the University of Houston. While she served as a member of the board of directors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Mitchells endowed the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors. As a member of the board of the World Wildlife Fund, she underwrote art exhibits focused on endangered species at Houston ’s Museum of Natural History and was sole underwriter for Margaret Mee’s exhibition of her research in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. Cynthia also underwrote a Distinguished Authors program at the University of Houston; was a benefactor of the Houston Symphony,

Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet; and co-chaired the Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Honoring youth in the arts, she supported the Houston Youth Symphony and Ballet and the University of Houston ’s Texas Music Festival, which also features the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artists Competition.

As a compassionate defender of childhood physical and emotional well-being, Cynthia sponsored Kid Care, the United Way and established the Global Children ’s Foundation that provides safe havens to children affected by war.

Cynthia joined forces with her husband in the revitalization of historic Galveston, beginning with the restoration of the 1871 League building and continuing with the Strand Historic District, the Leon and H. Blum Building, which became the European-style Tremont House, and the Galvez Hotel. Together the Mitchells created the San Luis Hotel on the Seawall and Harbor House, a charming inn on Pier 21. Cynthia ’s deep appreciation for fine architecture and quality design became the watermark on each of the 17 19th-century commercial iron-front buildings she and her husband restored. In 1985, the Mitchells helped bring back the long-dormant Mardi Gras celebration, a traditional mid-winter festival that today draws 500,000 visitors to the island.

To honor Cynthia’s wish to benefit her alma mater and foster her love of creativity, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts was born. Acting as a center for artistic collaboration, the Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five units at the University of Houston to cultivate interdisciplinary relationships in the performing, visual and literary arts.

For those who knew her best, Cynthia will be remembered for her intelligence and wit, benevolence and social equality and devotion to all that she loved. l