Flem G Mitchell

Flem Goode Mitchell, Jr., 92, passed away on May 31, 2011 at his home in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Services will be held at Eternal Hills Funeral Home, 3594 Stone Mountain Highway, Snellville, GA 30039. Visitation will be on Friday, June 3, 2011 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel with graveside services to follow.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Electric Kids, Inc., a charity founded in 1991 to help the children of deceased or disabled Georgia Power or Southern Company employees based in Georgia. Make donations payable to Electric Kids, Inc., Bin 10196, 241 Ralph McGill Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30308.

Flem was a native Georgian, born on January 31, 1919 in his family’s home on Lucky Street in Atlanta. After attending Clemson University for several years, Flem went to work for the Georgia Power Company in 1940 in what was then called the production department. His career was interrupted by World War II during which Flem joined the United States Navy and served with distinction until 1944 including stints at Cornell and Colgate Universities. Upon discharge he went back to work for Georgia Power Company as an assistant in plant boiler operations. While working full time for Georgia Power, Flem attended Georgia Tech where he received a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his professional engineering certificate and rose through the ranks at Georgia Power to become Vice President of Plant Construction until his retirement in 1984. During his 43 year tenure, Flem had a perfect safety record while he personally took fewer than ten sick days.

Mr. Mitchell’s unwavering commitment to Georgia Power combined with forthrightness and scrupulous integrity served him well throughout his career. Responsible for billions of dollars of construction, his negotiations with the unions were legendary. His tough principled stance earned him the grudging respect of virtually all of the unions with whom he dealt, so much so, that upon retirement, he was made an honorary member of many of these very same unions. Included in his accomplishments at Georgia Power was the construction of every nuclear power plant ever built by the company. An avid golfer until well into his eighties, perhaps what gave him the most pleasure was having the annual Georgia Power golf tournament named the “Flem Mitchell, Jr. Construction Golf Classic”.

After retirement, Flem and his lifelong partner, Dela, continued to support the Georgia Power community spending untold hours working at and managing the Georgia Power Family House that provides temporary housing for employees and their families while loved ones are hospitalized. He also was a lifelong supporter of the Red Cross Blood Drives who gave blood for as long as he was able and then continued to work as a Blood Drive volunteer until the last six months of his life. He was awarded the Red Cross Volunteer of the Year Award for the State of Georgia in 2008.

Mr. Mitchell was a member of Citizens of Georgia Power, a service organization whose motto is “A Citizen Wherever We Serve”. As a member of Georgia Power Ambassadors, he participated in many service projects including doing home repair for widows that had no one else to help. In addition, he was a dedicated supporter of Electric Kids to which he has requested that donations be made.

Mr. Mitchell is survived by his wife, Dela Head Mitchell, his brother Reverend Royce J. Mitchell, his sister Kathryn Payne, his four children, Genia A. Mitchell, Flem G. Mitchell, III, Miriam D. Garrett and Tyra A. Burton, as well as six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.