You know how certain words, like emotive words, sensory words, can conjure strong feelings inside of you, they elicit a distinct emotion? Some names do that too. My daddy, Sam Mitchell, was one of those people. When you heard his name, you instantly had strong opinions about him, one way or the other. It was like that when he was living, and now that my daddy has passed away, it's still like that. You either loved him or hated him. I can still hear him speaking today. My son often tells me how he hears him too. Other people still talk about him... he lives on, his memory is still alive and well!
What got me to start thinking about my daddy this morning, was someone I was talking to started talking about passion. She judged people running for political offices by the amount of passion that they had for the office that they were pursuing. I agree a lot. Passion is a great gift. I looked it up and it means a powerful compelling emotion or feeling. The word derives from 1125-75; MIddle English (Old French) Medieval Latin passion (stem of passio), Christ's sufferings on the cross, any of the Biblical accounts of these. Wow! That is the perfect example of passion. Nothing that we could ever do would come close to comparing to that. The definition that came to my mind before I looked it up was, to believe in someone or something so strongly that you are willing to die for it. That was my daddy. When people hear my daddy's name many things might come to mind; coach, principal, state legislator, entrepreneur. He wore many hats.
But, this blog is not about that. It's not about how many games he won, how many awards he was given, or how much money he had appropriated to Northwest Florida. It's not about all his great accomplishments that were well-known, but about those accomplishments you might not know about. I want to tell you about the man, that at times appeared to be bigger than life, and other times putty in your hand, this man with a heart of gold, was my daddy.
He came up on a small farm, in a hard-working home, as most people did in the Florida Panhandle, during the depression years. They pretty much believed in three things, God, family, and hard work. He walked to school everyday over a rough terrain, lunch pail in hand; him and his three brothers, daddy the oldest. One of his brothers, my uncle, never missed one day of school from 1st through 12th grade. It was in those formative years that he developed a strong love for this part of the country where he grew up hunting and fishing, a passion that he pursued throughout his life. As daddy got older, he was recognized for his athletic ability and his talent in basketball. He went to college on a scholarship but it was never an easy road. Him and mama (after they got married) made sandwiches every night and daddy went around the dorms and sold them to the students. He also picked up their laundry. It was all part of his strong belief that you have to work hard for what you want. After college, he began to coach, basketball and football. Winning teams in both. It wasn't so much about winning the game as it was about the winning attitude that he instilled in the young boys that he coached. My husband, which was also coached by my daddy as a young boy, reminded me of the sign that hung in his office over his desk, "A winner never quits and a quitter never wins." His attitude was, that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. Hard, hard work that paid-off over and over again. My daddy stood up for what was right, it didn't matter who he had to stand up to. I remember stories about when he was coaching during the early years of segregation. He had a black boy on his team. They would go to restaurants after the games and his young black athlete was told he couldn't eat at the restaurant. My daddy told them point blank. "If he can't eat here, then none of us will eat here." Later he became principal at the same school where he had coached all those years. He continued to pursue his passion for young people and continued to instill in them the winning attitude. He did have strict ideas about dress codes. I remember hearing stories of how young men had to go get a hair cut because their hair was too long. Boys wore shirts tucked into their pants and had to wear socks with their shoes. Girls got sent home for wearing dresses that were too short. Daddy knew something that many of us didn't know. He knew that it was a tough world out there, and high school was just a training ground for adulthood. Many tell stories of how big his paddle was and how hard he used it. I don't really think that he loved paddling that much. I think that he was just that passionate about young people and their futures. I think many would tell him, "thank-you" today. Can you imagine what it was like to have a father like this? He was just as competitive with us girls; my sister and I. I'll never forget the time when daddy was still coaching. He had a rope that hung from the ceiling of the gym that he used during gym classes. I remember him telling me, "Sammie Jean, climb that rope to the top and show these boys how it is done," he said. Well, after all, I was named after him and I was the little boy that he didn't have. So, I wasn't about to disappoint him. Scared to death to go all the way to the top, I did it anyway. And just to show how good I was, I touched the ceiling when I got to the top of the rope. I came back down, with a huge smile of accomplishment on my face, as the boys clapped for me. My daddy had a reverse approach in motivating you. Not sure how it worked, but it definitely did. He knew exactly what to say to get results. Daddy ran for political office in the 1950's and was elected to serve in the Florida legislator at that time. I remember having little cards made with my picture and the slogan, "Vote For My Daddy" on it to hand out to people at political rallies. When I was young, people would tell me, "You act just like your daddy." Well, I didn't appreciate that as a child. But, as an adult looking back on my life and life growing up with this great man, I hope I have just some of the passion for life that he exhibited. Daddy, after all these years, I would still ask people to, "vote for my daddy." You're definitely the best candidate!
Daddy returned to Tallahassee and served many years in the Florida legislator. He was known as "Big Sam," in the capitol and all around this part of the country. Not only was he a large man in stature but he was a large man in everything that he did. His charisma was very contagious. Daddy was passionate about education, agriculture, wildlife, fisheries, you name it. He had a vast range of experience to bring to Tallahassee. I'm sure he wasn't the smartest man in the capitol but I would say that they would have a hard time finding anyone more dedicated, hard-working and passionate about the people in this area. He loved Northwest Florida. But, he would tell you, the greatest thing that he ever did was accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Daddy never told me the story but my brother-in-law did. He said that daddy told him how he prayed one day in the middle of the creek while he was fishing. I could just hear my daddy out there in the middle of the creek in his boat, just him and Father God. That's a beautiful scene. He was doing what he loved to do, fish. And his creator, the one that knew him best, came to him in the perfect place for them to have close communion that day, the creek. He said that he got saved that day. My daddy was not a "church goer" but He loved the Lord in the way that he knew how; with a simple, childlike faith. Later on He told us that he just laid his cigars down and never picked them up again. I can still hear his voice today recite the one verse of the bible that he knew by heart as he lay on the stretcher to be taken into heart surgery. He said, to mama, my sister, and I, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life." He warmed our hearts, as the tears flowed that day in the hallway of the hospital. My daddy was a winner all the way to the very end. My first grandson, his great grandson is bi-racial. His daddy is black. There was some tension in our family because of this, which is very understandable. Most of the strife came from the idea that races don't mix, (or that was how we were raised here). Well, long story made short, after his heart surgery, he didn't do very well because of a very weak heart due to diabetes and other factors. He had congestive heart failure. One night he said to me, "I want you to take me to Panama City to talk to my granddaughter and the babies daddy." I want to make things right with her and him. He didn't want to do it over the phone. That's how he was; hands-on, face to face, kind of guy. So, we did. I drove him to PC to see them. He did not want to leave this earth before he made things right with God and his granddaughter. My daddy was willing to put prejudices, pride, and the way he was raised aside to do what was right for his family. Daddy, I don't know if I ever told you how much I appreciated you doing that. Words are so inadequate. But, I want to tell you now, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.
It's true! My daddy was a dreamer. He dreamed big dreams. "If you don't stand for something, then you will fall for anything," he would say. You always knew where he stood, whether you liked it or not. You always knew. Like most people, my daddy doesn't have monuments made of stone. But, he has something far more important; countless numbers of grown adults that can testify to how much he impacted their lives in a positive way. I am one of those. Daddy wanted to write a book about his life. I agree daddy. It's a great story to tell. I hope that I hold in my hands, just a portion of the passion, perseverance, and possibility that you held in your hands. What a legacy you left for us to follow. I'm so proud of you! Thank you for teaching me that if I'm not willing to go all out for it, then it's not worth pursuing. You taught me that God, family, friends, and community are worth going "all out for." You said it best. "If you're going to do it...give it all you got." Thank you daddy!
I love you!
sammie jean
 |
| Daddy top left with brothers and grandparents |
