Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Ted Mitchell, a researcher and writer whose knowledge about the life and writings of Asheville native son and novelist Thomas Wolfe never stopped expanding, died in Asheville on Saturday. He was 59.
Mitchell worked as an historic site interpreter at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic site in downtown Asheville for 13 years, and most recently was a volunteer at the site. The site is the childhood home of Wolfe, famous for his novel Look Homeward Angel. Mitchell was also the director of the Thomas Wolfe Festival, which is held each year in Asheville.
In essence, Mitchell was the face and personality of the Wolfe house. He was tireless in his pursuit of all things Thomas Wolfe, and I especially remember his excitement several years ago when Wolfe was honored with a U.S. Postal Service stamp.
Mitchell’s work suffered a blow with the fire that struck the house 10 years ago and did major damage. And in recent years, public visitation to the Old Kentucky Home has been down.
But Mitchell never stopped learning. His obituary notes that he contributed more than 30 books, essays and articles on Wolfe. His most recent publications include 1997’s Thomas Wolfe: A Writer’s Life and 2007’s Windows of the Heart: The Correspondence of Thomas Wolfe and Margaret Roberts.
His obituary sums up his devotion to Wolfe:
Ted’s devotion to and reverence for Thomas Wolfe and his contributions to American letters was second only to his devotion and love for those who were fortunate enough to be counted among his friends and colleagues.
Here’s his full obituary.
I tried to find a fitting quote from Wolfe to memorialize Mitchell. I liked this one:
There are some people who have the quality of richness and joy in them and they communicate it to everything they touch. It is first of all a physical quality; then it is a quality of the spirit.
