In October 2015, University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery Mills and Director of Planned Giving Sarah McPartland-Good recognized Frances Robinson Mitchell for her recent donation of a Royal Sarouk rug, (pictured above) which now resides in the Treat Room at the Buchanan Alumni House.
In 1944, Mrs. Mitchell left the University of Maine and her studies behind to serve her country. She had spent two years at the college of our hearts always until enlisting in the United States Marine Corps during the Second World War and was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In the war, Mrs. Mitchell was part of the Motor Transport Section. This included driving vehicles, which were not equipped with power breaks, or power steering.
Today, Mrs. Mitchell resides locally, and has set up a scholarship fund at the University of Maine Foundation. Created in 2006, the Frances Robinson Mitchell Scholarship Fund provides support to graduate students at the University of Maine who are studying the history of the United States. First choice of scholarship funds goes to students who are studying World War II and the Great Depression, with special attention to the Pacific Theater.
Mrs. Mitchell is one of many veterans who are affiliated with the University of Maine. As a Black Bear veteran, she has chosen to give back to the students of UMaine, and her gift will continue to give for years to come.
As a member of the Charles F. Allen Legacy Society, UMaine’s President’s Club, and the Stillwater Giving Society, Mrs. Mitchell is acknowledged as a Triple Crown donor in UMaine’s giving societies.
