Obituaries
Jimmy L. Mitchell, PhD, a prominent figure in work analysis and
military training, died suddenly of a heart attack on the evening of December
19, 2000, at his home in Converse, Texas. A retired Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air
Force, he was buried with Full Military Honors at Fort Sam Houston National
Cemetery in San Antonio. Jimmy is survived by his wife, Heidi J. Mitchell; their
five children, Ian, Mark, Thane, Forrest, and Kirsten; their four grandchildren,
Ardis, Benjamin, Gabriel, and Kelsey; and his brother, Henry. At the time of his
death, Jimmy was Director and Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Job and
Occupational Analysis (IJOA) in San Antonio, a not-for-profit corporation
devoted to the study of the world of work, which he founded in 1993. Previously,
he had served 27 years with the Air Force, followed by over 11 years with
McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company (now McDonnell Aerospace), the last 3 of
which coincided with his work at IJOA.
Born on December 29, 1935, in Wichita Falls, Texas, Jimmy earned his BA
degree at Phillips University in 1957, his MA at Ohio State in 1966, and his PhD
at Purdue in 1978. He held the unique distinction of having earned his graduate
degrees under two major figures in 20th century job and occupational
analysis, Carroll Shartle (at Ohio State) and Ernest McCormick (at Purdue).
Jimmy began his Air Force career in 1957 as a psychiatric clinic technician at
the USAF Hospital, Wright-Patterson AFB, followed by service as a security
police officer with the Strategic Air Command and U.S. Air Forces Europe. He was
subsequently assigned to the graduate program at Ohio State to pursue his
masters degree, after which he joined the Civilian Institutions Division of
the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, as an administrator
working with civilian university degree programs for Air Force officer and
enlisted students. His ensuing years in the Air Force were devoted to test
development and occupational analysis with the 3700th Occupational
Measurement Squadron, Lackland AFB; the graduate program at Purdue, where he
earned his doctorate; and the USAF Occupational Measurement Center, Randolph
AFB, where he directed occupational survey studies as Chief of USAF Airmen
Analysis. During his last 10 years in the Air Force, Jimmy also served as editor
of Air Force Psychology News, a quarterly career development newsletter
for behavioral scientists. Upon retiring from the Air Force in 1984, Jimmy
continued his work in job and occupational analysis, first with McDonald Douglas
and later with IJOA, focusing much of his effort on issues related to military
training.
Jimmy had a strong commitment to his profession and a genuine altruistic
interest in advancing the field of work analysis. An anonymous sage once noted
that there are two ways of spreading light: To be a candle or to be the mirror
that reflects it. In a sense, Jimmy was both. As a candle, he generated ideas
and conducted research which he reported in journals, book chapters, technical
reports, and numerous professional conferences, including the proceedings of the
International Military Testing Association (IMTA), the International
Occupational Analysts Workshops, the Applied Behavioral Sciences Symposia
(previously the Psychology in the DoD Symposia), APA (Division 19), and SIOP. He
was very active in these organizations and programs, providing leadership and
vision through his service on various committees and boards, and received the
1994 Harry H. Greer Award for his outstanding contributions to IMTA. He
developed the Professional and Managerial Position Questionnaire (with Ernest
McCormick), authored two chapters in the Job Analysis Handbook for Business,
Industry, and Government, and was considered to be the foremost authority on
the history of job analysis in the military, having written both a book chapter
and a journal article on that topic.
As a mirror, Jimmy devoted much unselfish time and effort to showcasing and
disseminating the work of others, particularly that of his younger colleagues.
He played a unique and vital role as a facilitator and organizer in the field of
work analysis, initiating and planning symposia, workshops, and other
professional events, including a recent one-day symposium on the future of job
analysis. He was the founding editor-in-chief of a new peer-reviewed electronic
journal, Ergometrika (www.ergometrika.org),
devoted to the analysis and study of human work. The journal had been one of his
dreams for some years, and he posted its first issue just one week before his
death. Over the years, Jimmy also played a significant role in promoting and
spreading the use of the Air Force job-task inventory method throughout the
military services and in the civilian sector as well. In addition, he found time
to pass his knowledge of the field on to the next generation, teaching
occasional courses at the University of Texas at Austin and Saint Marys
University in San Antonio.
Jimmy enjoyed life and he loved people, in all their diversity. His many
interests included archaeology, history, genealogy, and science fiction. He was
a charter member of the Southern Texas Archaeological Association and edited the
associations journal, La Tierra, for 10 years. But perhaps his
greatest legacy resides in all those whose careers he facilitated and lives he
improved. Jimmy was the consummate mentor. As his many friends and beneficiaries
will attest, he derived great satisfaction from helping others achieve their
goals and realize their potential. Always looking for the best in people, he was
quick to recognize their strengths but forgiving of their shortcomings. On top
of it all, he was possessed of a warm and engaging sense of humor, an outgoing
and approachable demeanor, a bright and optimistic spirit, and a generous
nature. These qualities and his unpretentious humanity are what Jimmys
friends will miss the most.
In the words of Woodrow Wilson, Do not forget, you are here to enrich the
world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand. Jimmy never lost
sight of his errand. He enriched all who knew him and the world at large. His
time on earth, though all too short, was well spent. He will be sorely missed by
a legion of friends and admirers, and his early departure leaves a void in the
field of work analysis that no one else will likely fill.
Those wishing to memorialize Jimmy can contribute to the Jimmy L. Mitchell
Archaeological Scholarship Fund by mailing checks payable to the Southern Texas
Archaeological Association to IJOA, Scholarship Fund, 10010 San Pedro, Suite
440, San Antonio, TX 78216.
--Bill Cunningham*
*with invaluable help from Loretta Whitehead, Randy Agee, Winston Bennett,
Roger Fites, and Mark Wilson.