Because of the Facebook group we now have, and the relative ease of posting news there, I have not updated news items here on our website for quite a while. I am correcting that this week, and you will find some new news items and pictures from the past year at Foundation related events and activities I was involved in. One of the great things about being involved with the Coventry Foundation is the ability I have to meet and get to know very generous, and interesting people who have a passion for everything Jaguar. One of those people was Dr. Gerry Mitchell. Although I only knew Dr. Gerry for a few years, it was a great experience for me to talk, and spend time with him. Dr. Gerry was an enthusiastic Jaguar fan, but more importantly, he was a good man.
When I met Dr. Mitchell at the IJF held in 2017 in Georgia, he was considering appropriate places that he could donate many of his personal and important belongings where they would be used and enjoyed by many in the years after his passing. Including his medical books, special equipment, and his beloved car collection, including Jaguars, and his 1949 Cadillac. He liked the work the Coventry Foundation was doing, and decided that we would be good keepers of his beloved Jaguar collection. He first donated his (owned since new) 1977 XJS FHC to the foundation in April 2018 (see the story in the Jaguar Journal written by Peter regarding his drive with this car to deliver it to the foundation library in August 2018 when we celebrated our first big open house there). At the unfortunate time of his passing in 2019, his wife Rebecca decided to follow thru with his wishes, and donated the other 3 Jaguar, an XK140 OTS, XK150 OTS, and his S3Etype coupe 12cyl from Dr. Mitchell’s collection to the Foundation at the time of his celebration of life in September 2019, held at the Mitchell home in Tennessee. Becky also donated their significant collection of Jaguar material to the foundation at that time. That other material included literature, parts, tools, and more Jaguar related material Dr. Mitchell accumulated during his many years as an enthusiast. The celebration of life, attended by George Camp and Gary Kincel from the foundation, along with 60+ friends, family members, and members of the car community was a wonderful tribute to the legacy of Dr. Mitchell.
Dr. Mitchell graduated from Emory University in 1954 with a degree in dentistry. He then spent 2 years in the Air Force, followed by a period of time in general dentistry practice. He went back to school and obtained his degree in oral surgery and practiced oral-and-maxillofacial surgery in Santa Maria California for more than 2 decades. Gerry’s dad helped set up the dental school at the 7th day Adventist University in Loma Linda, California, and taught there until his retirement past his 70th birthday. Gerry’s dad married Becky’s great aunt Sarah around 1944 and Becky met Gerry at his dad’s home while she was on weekend visits from college. Becky attended Loma Linda College and obtained her degree in medical records administration.
Becky and Gerry were married in 1980 and at the time of his passing, were married for 38 years.
In 1984 Gerry received a request from the church to go to Guam for a 6 year term to provide oral surgery service in a church mission clinic there. He accepted and he and Becky put their belongings in storage, and rented their home. They were in Guam from 1985 until 1991, returning to find their garage was broken into, items were stolen, and the XJS had been damaged. While in Guam, Becky managed all medical records at the Navy Hospital there.
In 1992 they decided to move to Tennessee to be closer to Becky’s parents, brother, and sister. They stayed with family in Knoxville for the months while their home was being built in Kingsport, and started the process of moving their possessions across country.
On one of those trips, they towed the XK150 behind the XJS with ease, and had the pleasure of many onlookers including the local police authorities. The XK150 had been purchased in Glendale, California, from the side of the road with a for sale sign on it for $700. Gerry also purchases his XK140 and E-Type, both of them used, in California.
On another cross county road trip, driving the S3 E-Type, the car was having trouble running smoothly, so they stopped in Las Vegas, stayed there while the car was in for repairs, and the only bet they made was a $1 slot machine with the idea that if they won, they would buy another car and leave the E-Type behind. They did not end up winning, so they continued to drive their still poorly running E-Type the remainder of the way back to Tennessee.
Dr. Gerry was a car guy from boyhood. His first and last Jaguars purchased were both new. The first being a 1963 E-Type OTS which he eventually sold, a sale he regretted the rest of his life. His last new car purchase was a XJS. Dr. Gerry was also interested in photography and guns, particularly Colt revolvers, and he had a love for chocolate ice cream.
