Posted on: Oct 09, 2023 at 5:57 PM

Hi Jim! Thanks for your work on this page! Its really nice to have. Bill

Congrats on impressive resume!

I agree with those who say that this is a proper place to fill out the memory of Bill Mitchell -- his bright side, his dark side, and everything in between. He was certainly a person many of us have clear memories of. For me he was an athlete, socially active, and a brave, tough, warrior. (I don't doubt anything that has been said here about his darker side. Although I wasn't afraid to be around him, there were times when he let me know who was tougher.)

If the history of the Class of '64 were written, I'd rank him second only to Jim Barr as a fearsome street fighter. Gerald says Dave Jakesone was #1, but I don't remember him, and his name is not on the Classmate Profiles list. Barr is listed in the Class of '64, and I remember him as a classmate. Its not always easy to get history right, and smart people can disagree on the details. (As an aside, Barr was once in need of a lawyer. We had an art teacher at North Campus who was a lawyer, and he helped get Barr out of trouble pro bono. I can't remember that teacher's name.)

Thanks, Gerald Williams. Now I remember that bit of campus lore. George Pankow was reputed to be way up there in the ranks. Too bad there aren’t any fight records that would definitively show who was the top street fighter in our school. I think that Frank and George were Class of ’63. So that would leave Jim as tops in the Class of ’64.  Elimination bouts between the three would have been an amazing contest. If only we could go back in time!

I agree with Buddy Breese that Bill Mitchell could be a fun guy. I joked around and laughed with him many times, both in South and North campus. But I disagree that this not the place to tell negative truths about Bill. What Mindy Armer has reported should go into the mix of our memory of Bill. Knowing Bill, I believe her.

Also, I'm glad that Bob Miller mentioned fighting in conncetion with Bill. I was present to at least three of his fights. Two in "the Hole" (anyone remember that place?) And one in a parking lot out on La Grange Road, somewhere past 55th. He won each handily. He had great courage. But he was selective. According to the stories I heard around LTHS, the toughest guy at school was Frank Smith, Class of '63. Next was Gentleman Jim Barr from our class. A story I heard was that Barr challenged Bill, but that Bill declined. Still, I would rank Bill as the second toughest guy in the Class of '64. That's a high status position out of something like 2000 students. Its also a part of our common history, and this is an excellent place to lay out the record, and to set it straight. 

Ranking who were the toughest guys at school may be a teenage guy thing, but we are talking about a guy we knew as teenagers.

4-11-23

Thanks, Gerald. Now I remember that bit of campus lore. George Pankow was reputed to be way up there in the ranks. Too bad there aren’t any fight records that would definitively show who was the top street fighter in our school. I think that Frank and George were Class of ’63. So that would leave Jim as tops in the Class of ’64.  Elimination bouts between the three would have been an amazing contest. If only we could go back in time!

I agree with Budy Breese that Bill Mitchell could be a fun guy. I joked around and laughed with him many times, both in South and North campus. But I disagree that this not the place to tell negative truths about Bill. What Mindy Armer has reported should go into the mix of our memory of Bill. Knowing Bill, I believe her.

Also, I'm glad that Bob Miller mentioned fighting in conncetion with Bill. I was present to at least three of his fights. Two in "the Hole" (anyone remember that place?) And one in a parking lot out on La Grange Road, somewhere past 55th. He won each handily. He had great courage. But he was selective. According to the stories I heard around LTHS, the toughest guy at school was Frank Smith, Class of '63. Next was Gentleman Jim Barr from our class. A story I heard was that Barr challenged Bill, but that Bill declined. Still, I would rank Bill as the second toughest guy in the Class of '64. That's a high status position out of something like 2000 students. Its also a part of our common history, and this is an excellent place to lay out the record, and to set it straight. 

Ranking who were the toughest guys at school may be a teenage guy thing, but we are talking about a guy we knew as teenagers.

I knew Harley Conrad in HS. He was a strong guy. In fact, I once underestimated his strength and engaged him in a wrestling match. It took him about a minute to pin me down. Good thing he had mercy on me and let me up right away!

I remember Dick Brode. He had a great sense of humor. As I recall he drove his mom's car. It was a '63 Chevy hardtop w/ a 250 horse 327, and Powerglide trans. I rode around w/ him a few times. The gang I hung w/ sometimes went somewhere just off Countyline Rd to drink, and Brode, as we called him, was w/ us on occasion. Hope he had a good life.