Oscar Mitchell served in the 645th Engineer Combat Battalion as Battalion Commander during World War II and served during the Korean Conflict having achieved the rank of Major.  One accomplishment that he was most proud of was his participation inbuilding the Ledo Road in the China-Burma-India Theater of WWII.  The Ledo Road, (from Ledo, Arunachal Pradesh, India to Kunming, Yunnan, China) was built during World War II so that the Western Allies could supply the Chinese as an alternative to the Burma Road that had been cut by the Japanese in 1942.  By Major Mitchell’s own account the Ledo Road was the last link in the world’s longest supply line.  It was a symbol of hope to the land-locked people of China.  It represented the integrity of the American people and was a way of life for thosewho lived beside it. Major Mitchell wrote in 1946 that ‘The Road will have disappeared physically, but it will be remembered forever by those who walked along its way.  Every race was represented on The Road.  Here was a true cross-section of the peoples of the world – the Burmese, the Indian, the West African, the South African, the Chinese, the British, and the American.  In the mind of each The Road will be remembered as a monument to the irrepressibility of man in his fight against nature and for those things in which he believes.  For if he believes, it can be done!’

Dr. Mitchell was one of the great influential scholars and was well respected for his 40 years of service in the halls of academia having nurtured, educated, and inspired hundreds of students in speech pathology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  He, together with a dear colleague Samuel P. Geralds (deceased), established a scholarship fund to help students complete their education.  He was a true brother of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and as such exemplified the ideals of brotherhood, scholarship, and service.  He was awarded the rank of Professor Emeritus before his retirement from Southern University in 1998.  Dr. Mitchell, a certified speech pathologist and audiologist and member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) was a Fellow of that organization.  The status of ASHA Fellow is retained for life and is one of the highest honors that ASHA can bestow. It recognizes professional or scientific achievement and is given to a member who has shown outstanding contribution to the profession—contributions that are significant and would be so regarded within and beyond one's community or state.

Dr. Mitchell was an active member of Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church.  Dr. Mitchell was preceded in death by his parents, 4 sisters (Louis Meachem, Fannie McCorvy, Rosalie Johnson, Mamie Mitchell), 3 brothers (George Mitchell, Crawford Mitchell, Will Mitchell), and a dear granddaughter (Shana Ellis).  His survivors include his beloved wife Martha R. Mitchell; daughter Patricia and son-in-law Jerome Ellis; daughter Carolyn and son-in-law John Person; daughter Catherine and son-in-law Gary Dudley; son Oscar Reid and daughter-in-law Renae Mitchell; son Albert and daughter-in-law Wanda Mitchell; brother Nathaniel Mitchell; brother Lonnie and sister-in-law Zenova Mitchell; sister-in-law Cornelia Medley; brother-in-law John Kinsey; grandchildren Alston Mitchell, Albert Mitchell, Reece Mitchell, Amina Mitchell, Lena Dudley, Reid Mitchell, Jonathan Person, Jerome Ellis II and wife Danielle, Jennifer Chapman, Shana Ellis (deceased), John S. Person, Roxane Hayes and husband Darryl, Robin Bailey; great grandchildren Brooke Ellis, Miles Chapman, Samantha Ellis, Madison Ellis, Steven Cox, Khaliah Wilson and husband Joshua, Erica Williams and husband Velvet,  Iasia Bailey, Kasiem Bailey; great great grandchildren Kiara Williams, Ciara Williams, Aliyah Phillips, Jordan Williams; many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and thousands of friends.  Funeral services will be held at the Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at 12:00 PM, April 10, with Pastor Darlene A. Moore officiating.  Interment will follow in Port Hudson National Cemetery, Zachary Louisiana.