Reavis Lee Mitchell Jr. (July 12, 1947 – June 16, 2020) was an American historian and academic administrator. He was the dean of the School of Humanities and Behavioral Social Sciences and professor of history at Fisk University, a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the chairman of the Tennessee Historical Commission from 2015 to 2020.
Mitchell began his career as a member of the history faculty at Fisk University in 1980.[2] He also worked as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Francis and Vanderbilt University.[2] Mitchell held several administrative posts at Fisk, including Director of Institutional Advancement, Executive Assistant to the President, and Dean of Academic Affairs.[2]
Mitchell died on June 16, 2020, in Brentwood, at the age of 72.[3][5] He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
Dr. Mitchell's life was honored at the 2021 Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference produced a profile on him as part of the 2021 conference proceedings.
Personal life
Mitchell had a wife, Dr. Patricia W. Mitchell, and four sons, Reavis L. Mitchell III, Roland W. Mitchell, Reagan P. Mitchell, and Roman B.W. Mitchell[3] He resided in Brentwood, Tennessee, and he attended St. Vincent de Paul Church, a Catholic church in North Nashville.[1]
Works
Mitchell, Reavis L. Jr. (1995). Thy Loyal Children Make Their Way: A History of Fisk University Since 1866. Nashville, Tennessee: Fisk University Press. OCLC33197286.
