Abraham "Abe" Mitchell, 1934-2026
Posted on October 16, 2026
Abraham “Abe” Mitchell, who built a real estate empire with his brother and became the most generous donor in the history of the University of South Alabama, died Thursday, Oct. 15, in Mobile. He was 91.
In 2013, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of South, he announced a gift of $50 million. This was a record-setting gift to a public university in the state of Alabama, and it was preceded and followed by many other donations. In all, Mitchell donated more $130 million to the University of South Alabama.
“Abe was one of the most kind-hearted, generous people in the world. He lived a long, rich and rewarding life,” said University President Jo Bonner. “He, his brother, Mayer, and his sister-in-law, Arlene, saw long ago the potential of the University of South Alabama, and, together, they have helped transform USA into the campus and health system we are today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family.”
A statue of Abe Mitchell and his older brother, Mayer “Bubba” Mitchell, welcomes students to the Mitchell College of Business, one of several buildings on campus named for the Mitchell Family. Their legacy also includes the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute and the Mitchell Center.
Each fall, Abe Mitchell enjoyed meeting with the Mitchell Scholars who earned scholarships to study business at South. Many went on to become business leaders on the Gulf Coast. He admired their energy and ambition.
“They’re all so young and bright,” he said. “When I meet them years later, or semesters later, that’s an exciting thing. And I’ve had professors tell me that when they have a Mitchell Scholar in the classroom, they can tell.”
The Importance of Education
Mitchell was a 2006 recipient of the Mobilian of the Year award and a 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from Business Alabama. He was active with the Ahavas Chesed Synagogue and supported a long list of city and state organizations. These ranged from the Mobile Public Library and the Mobile Museum of Art to Alabama Public Television and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.
Mitchell grew up in Mobile and followed his brother to military school and then the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a law degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in tax law from New York University.
While practicing law in Mobile, briefly, Abe Mitchell served as interim district attorney, which helped direct his philanthropy toward higher education.
“I saw firsthand how important an education is in shaping young people’s future and setting them on a path to success,” he said. “I witnessed the hopelessness of those that dropped out of school and found themselves in trouble with the law. This experience taught me that an educated person rarely comes in contact with the criminal justice system. That experience among many others inspired me for a long time to make a positive difference in the lives of others.”
The Mitchell Company
In the 1950s, Mayer and Abe Mitchell founded The Mitchell Company, based in Mobile, which became one of the most successful real estate development firms in the southeastern United States. The company built more than 175 shopping centers, 20,000 apartments and 25,000 single-family homes.
As young contractors, the Mitchell brothers began building starter homes, using prefabricated sections, before expanding into commercial developments that included shopping centers and pedestrian malls, including the Bel Air Mall in Mobile. Their company opened offices in New Orleans and Pensacola, then Tampa, Atlanta and Raleigh. They completed real estate projects in several states.
The brothers were successful partners.
“The chief thing that makes our relationship what it is — and it is good — is that it’s a business relationship without ego,” Abe reflected in a book about his brother, “Just Call Me Bubba.” “No one ever says, ‘Who did the most work? I worked harder than you’ and such.”
Mayer Mitchell was the one who encouraged him to begin giving away a lot of the money he’d earned.
“I got involved in philanthropy — giving to education, specifically the University of South Alabama, and to Jewish causes — much later than my brother,” Abe said. “In fact, he has a great moral compass and guided me into philanthropy. It was at his suggestion and advice that I broadened my perspective. He said, ‘You made the money, you ought to get the pleasure of giving it away.’”
A Legacy of Philanthropy
After Mayer Mitchell died in 2007, his wife, Arlene, continued family support for the University of South Alabama. She became the first woman to serve as chair pro tem of the USA Board of Trustees.
Abe Mitchell supported the University in various ways. The Jaguar football team now plays on Abraham A. Mitchell Field at Hancock Whitney Stadium. He endowed the deanship in the Mitchell College of Business.
Of the $50 million donated on the occasion of the University’s 50th anniversary, $25 million went to fund the Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative, which raised another $25 million through match donations.
In addition, more than 225 students have been awarded scholarships through the Mitchell Scholars program. Many have graduated and work for local companies. Others pursued different careers.
Mitchell laughed when he recalled a pair of Huntsville students who won Mitchell Scholarships several years ago. They turned out to be pre-med students who used the business program to pay for their undergraduate educations.
“Somebody asked if that bothered me,” he said, savoring the memory. “I said no. Those are the kind of entrepreneurs we’re looking for.”
In a 2018 interview, after receiving a business achievement award, Mitchell shared a favorite philosophy.
“Live each day to the fullest,” Mitchell said. “Get the most from each hour, each day and each age of your life. Then you can look forward with confidence and back without regrets. Be yourself, but be your best self. Dare to be different and follow your own star. Don’t be afraid to be happy. Forget what you’ve done for your friends and remember what they’ve done for you. Disregard what the world owes you and concentrate on what you owe the world.”
