Eric Mitchell - Photography teacher at Fresno High

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Amongst the fondest of all of our memories are from High School. Share where you attended, who your special friend was or the winning game touchdown you made. Also list a long lost classmate that you are searching for. And we love seeing photos of around your campus.
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Lost Fresno
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Eric Mitchell - Photography teacher at Fresno High

Post by Lost Fresno » Thu May 24, 2018 9:19 am

Mr. Mitchell taught his entire career at Fresno High School and retired in 1974. Although I went to McLane, I had heard of a wonderful photography class at Fresno High from a friend, So I made a special effort to sign-up for summer school there and I was not disappointed.

Not only was the class fantastic and boosted my photography hobby but I got to know Eric. He taught photography and music as well. I eventually joined the Fresno Camera Club where he served on its board for many years. He was a collector of antique glass and he loved buttermilk. I have included a page from the Fresno High yearbook when they dedicated a page to him. Mr. Mitchell passed on December 7, 1988. If anybody has fond memories of Eric Mitchell, please share them here.
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Lost Fresno
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Re: Eric Mitchell - Photography teacher at Fresno High

Post by Lost Fresno » Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:52 pm

More on Eric Mitchell. Although he served as the President of the Fresno Camera Club on and off, it was the monthly contests that he won time and time again. His secrete weapon, a laundry clothes pin which he would gather loose material on the portraits sitters back, so that the the front hung better. A good trick to use even today if you are shooting portraits.
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Click to Enlarge / Fresno Bee - Sept. 29, 1963

Richard Frey

Re: Eric Mitchell - Photography teacher at Fresno High

Post by Richard Frey » Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:34 pm

I entered Fresno Hi in 1958 and Eric Mitchell was my photo instructor. He must have liked my work as after my first year he got me on the Owlet newspaper as the photographer. I had free access to the photo lab and got to use the school's 4 x 5 Graphflex camera any time I wanted to. During two of the summers that I was at FHS, he took some of his photo students on photo trips. One year we drove to Bryce Canyon and on the way back home got to go down into Hoover Dam as part of a tour. Eric Mitchell earned his Ed D from Stanford in teaching mathematics. He and his wife would would have parties for his photo students at their home on east Olive Ave. While I never heard him play a musical instrument, he was formally trained as an orchestra leader. He was an officer during WWII and two days after the first A bomb in Japan, while stationed in Hawaii, he got a great color picture of unique clouds in the western sky. At his funeral, it was great to see some of his former students.

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