Woodlands founder featured on the news tonight

[msmichellemiller]

I just caught a commercial for an interview with him on 11:00 News at Ten on channel ABC 11. He is going to talk about his vision of the Woodlands and all that jazz; I think it will be interesting. Just thought I'd pass it on for anyone that might want to DVR or catch it tonight.

[Lon Chaney]

Mitchell Energy originally purchased the land from lumber companies as collateral for more loans in order to finance their oil and gas business ventures.

Yes, he did have visions of utopia where rich and poor lived together in one community and hired some of the best architects and developers in the country to make it happen. Back in the 70's there was no such thing as a "master planned community", Mitchell's concept was one of the first although not original.

[Wilson]

Here's the article... thanks for the heads-up, Michelle! I'm going to set my DVR...

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080124_ac_georgemitchell.5450b5e1.html
Meet the man behind The Woodlands

09:30 PM CST on Thursday, January 24, 2008
By Len Cannon / 11 News

Not far from the madness of Interstate 45, just off Woodlands Parkway, the scenery suddenly changes. The pace slows to a crawl, and the roar of traffic gives way to the sounds of nature.

The Woodlands was the vision of one man: 88-year-old George Mitchell.

“People used to say he must be crazy to pull that stupid project,” he said. “Little did they know that we thought we were on the right track.”

He was moved to action while watching cities burn during the ‘60s riots.
He said he wanted to, “do a better job of urbanization.”

Now home to 90,000 people, The Woodlands, spread across 27,000 acres, became a successful model for community building.

All this from an oil and gas man.

The son of Greek immigrants, he was raised in Galveston and graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in petroleum engineering and geology — the class of 1940.

During the war he started his own oil and gas business. He was a wild-catter.

“We would drill a well, and if we made the well, we would go the bank and borrow a little money, because we had to have money, and if we got a dry hole, we would just cry.

“It’s a tough business,” he said.

He didn’t cry very often; he wound up making a fortune.

But in life, even one as high flying as Mitchell’s, there have been lows.

In 2001, his wife of more than 60 years, Cynthia, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The disease robbed her memory and a lifetime of moments with her husband and 10 children.

“But she doesn’t recognize anybody at this time,” he said.

It’s a disease he hopes one day doctors can find a cure for; Mitchell has given millions to the med center for Alzheimer’s research.

He built his reputation and fortune in the energy business, but he will perhaps always be remembered for a real estate venture off the North Freeway.

“The Woodlands project is a tremendous project,” he said. “I think I will have enough for people to point to, ‘he did this he did that,’” Mitchell said.

He could have retired long ago, but Mitchell still comes to his downtown office three days a week just to keep an eye on things.

[baby duck]

He's donated quite a bit of money to Galveston, too.

And student teachers from A&M live free in apartments here in the Woodlands when doing teaching assignments for CISD. At least that was the case for me 15 years ago.:)

[Carpe Diem]

The pace slows to a crawl, and the roar of traffic gives way to the sounds of nature.

:rofl:

[barbara77380]

:rofl:
Yeah, I moved to this area recently and I hate driving back towards Houston for anything. Sawdust rd. is as far south as I like to go. Grew up all my life in H-town. Didn't know what I was missing out here. When I get to drive to work through the serene streets of the Woodlands and I get to see more around me than just grey concrete all of the time, I feel blessed to be here...(although the traffic lights sometimes take too long and congest things up, what's up with that?) I feel like I'm living in a dream. It is actually someone else's dream (that Mitchell guy's) come to life and I'm getting a chance to create my own dreams in the process here...like I actually am getting a chance to think and breathe up here, where as in Houston it was more of a reactive mode all the time. I'm lucky to work here and lucky to be here. Saddened though to find out that his wife has Alzheimer's. There's seems, like such a fairy tale love story from afar. I'd actually like to know more about his history and their story. I wonder if there's a book about him or both out there. (Also, has he built a library to himself or anything?)Anyone know?

[aggie02a]

Isnt the library by the Branch Crossing YMCA called the Mitchell Library? I am by there often, but I must admit, it has been over a year since I actually went in!

[Wilson]

Isnt the library by the Branch Crossing YMCA called the Mitchell Library? I am by there often, but I must admit, it has been over a year since I actually went in!

That's it! :)
http://www.countylibrary.org/wws.htm

[barbara77380]

That's it! :)
http://www.countylibrary.org/wws.htm
ok, thanks ya'll..:)