My roommate Virginia Phillips from Tuskegee, Alabama, and I transferred from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to Fisk University, the fall of 1952. That fall, we met and joined all of our wonderful Fisk University classmates, and graduates on the Class of 1955, which we are now known. We met Bob Mitchem from Massachusetts. Mitch for me became known as a very close friend of Judson and Piggy Robinson from Houston. They were football players, and Business majors, planning to make lots of money. Mitch became “an adopted brother” to the Robinson brothers. We Texans banding together, since I was from Hawkins, Texas in the Eastern Part of the State, learned quickly, I knew whom they knew in Houston, and socially we all went to and from the same events. Piggy and Judson’s father knew my father, who served on the original Board of Trustees which had established Texas Southern University in Houston.
Mitch accompanied the Robinson brothers, and others of us who took the train from Nashville to Texas during holiday vacations. When we got to Little Rock, Arkansas, they changed trains to transfer to the Houston train. I remained on the same train going to Dallas. Before their departure the three always had words with the Conductors, who noted these handsome three
“Big” gentlemen, saying “make sure you take good care of our little sister who gets off in Hawkins”! Trust me the Conductors were startled, however noted what had been said!
Our close relationships remained throughout graduate and professional school, marriage and family lives. We were happy for each other’s accomplishments and communicated when we could by telephone. Mitch and I relished having our daughters whom we both named Melanie. When I traveled from Ethiopia to Texas, if I stopped in Atlanta, I toured the business, became
aware of the program to supply computers throughout the public schools. Piggy and Mitch treated me with a healthy lunch and saw that I got safely to the airport for my flight to Dallas.
April 28-May 21, 2005 our classmates were back in Nashville for our 50th Class Reunion at Fisk. As always this was a great time to unite knowing that we had lost few of our graduating class and that most of us were fairly healthy, some wealthy, and all generally well. The Campus looked beautiful, and green. We were all happy about the leadership from President O’Leary despite Challenges she had experienced, in her attempt to overcome a serious fiscal Institutional crisis. The leadership of Mitch and classmate, Grace Driver, most of us cooperating with them with timely contributions, allowed our class to make the largest Class Reunion gift ever in the history of Fisk University! The excitement that night at the banquet was ecstatic! I will never forget it.
A historic and National treasure is our Fisk University Chapel. We were attending the baccalaureate service Sunday morning. There was special seating for the Goldens. Piggie, Mitch, myself, my husband Richard, Cynthia Rawls Bond, her husband Maltimore, Virginia Phillips Roney, and her husband Darrell were sitting on a row together. Before the service began, we were quietly chatting. Mitch said to me quietly ”Adah, you are the youngest of our classmates, and you have been without grey hair for thirty years. Look at me, Piggy, Cynthia and Virgie. We are the only ones with grey hair! Look at our other classmates, the same age or older, while they look good, they don’t have any grey hair like us!” I said, “Bob, not to worry,
One day if they choose, they may have it..... It is not their time yet! ...........When it was “our time”, we just let it go, because we all look good!
God has decided it was time for Mitch to come home, join his best friend Piggy, Dear Harriette, Brother Judson. We will surely miss him as a dear and Wonderful friend, classmate of Fisk, 1955. I am still trying to accept this sad news.
May Sookie and The Mitchem family have the strength they need to be strong.
Blessings and love,
Adah and Richard Pierce