By Joe Barkovich, Scribbler-at-large
Captions: top left, Cec displaying his photo from Dec. 15, 1972, the last ship passing beneath the Main Street bridge, downtown Welland; top right, at St. David’s Church 70th anniversary flower bed, June 2019; below, Cec at a reunion social at the home of former sports editor Wayne Redshaw, July 2014; middle left, Cec and Marg (any compilation of Cec photos should include at least one of Marg!) at a Soup’s On! luncheon, 2019; right, excerpt of Trib story and pic shortly after retirement,1995; bottom left, Cec displaying his photo taken during the 1973 Royal Visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake, it accompanied a story he’d written for the blog in September 2022.
If you knew Cec Mitchell you are bound to have lasting images of this wonderful man.
A handful from a scrapbook that is stored in my memory: Cec at the Welland County Fair (when it was on Denistoun Street) joyfully snapping photos of kids trying to master eating candy apples or candy floss; Cec at a Tribune Tournament basketball game, his eagle eye trained on fast-paced action on the gleaming hardwood; Cec at a Rose Festival parade, walking part of the route in search of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ on faces of spectators to record the emotion of parade watching; Cec on election night, squeezing his way through a wall of frenzied campaign workers and followers, prepping for a pic of the winning (or losing) candidate; Cec at the Remembrance Day service in Chippawa Park, eyes locked on faces of marchers, of cadets, of onlookers, of politicians to capture the solemnity of the occasion; Cec in downtown Welland the night of December 15, 1972, not only watching history being made but recording it from behind his camera for generations to follow.
There are many more. But one other lasting image that must be shared: Cec’s smile. It was unforgettable. It was, well, picture perfect.
Cec, a photographer with The Tribune from 1952 to 1995, died Sunday, May 21, aged 92. His memorial service was at his beloved parish, St. David’s Anglican Church, Friday, May 26.
He started his career at the Trib March 5, 1952. In a special supplement published October 1, 1995 it was written of him: “In his time as a photographer, he has snapped the pictures of more royalty, presidents and sporting events than any Tribune photographer has ever or will likely.
“For Cec, the Great Show on Earth has been the daily comings and goings of the people, businesses and organizations of Welland and he’s made a record of their activities that will be a large part of the community’s historical record.”
But even long into retirement, he was gung-ho on pursuing a photo/story assignment when it was pitched to him. It was June, 2019. St. David’s Church was celebrating its 70th anniversary. I asked Cec if he would snap a few pics at the commemorative flower bed on Prince Charles Drive and write a short piece about the anniversary for this blog.
“Let me know when you want to pick me up,” he said excitedly. “I’ll be waiting.”
That’s the way he was during his career. No job was too ordinary for the “Happy Snapper” as Cec was called with affection by newsroom colleagues. He relished all. He was proud to do them. And chances are he probably wore that smile of his for most or maybe all.
Cec’s passing followed not long after that of another gifted Tribune photog. His co-worker for about a dozen years, Bob Chambers, died November 10, 2022.
We were at Bob’s celebration of life gathering in Hamilton, just a small contingent of us. Cec, of course, was one.
After all was said and done, I recall Cec commenting on the way out: “He was one of the great ones.”
And regarding Cecil Mitchell, esteemed newspaper photographer, it can and must be said: “He was one of the great ones.”
(Lasting Image is a recurring feature on the blog. Some others in the series:
Bob Chambers, A Life In Focus, November 20, 2022; Fr. Jim Mulligan, A Good Man With Unbounded Capacity To Give, October 12, 2022; Ivy Riddell, She Loved Having Us Over, May 30, 2022; Caesar Hajdu, Never One To Miss A Game, October 21, 2020; Fred Turner, Forever A First-Class Guy, March 29, 2020; Gerry Berkhout, He Shone His Light On Others, January 4, 2019; Frank Sernak, A Great Voice For Radio, December 8, 2018; Ivan Zecchini, His Countenance Glowed From Wide-Eyed Appreciation, July 18, 2018; Keith Hornibrook, Opening Doors to Addictions Recovery In Dignity, July 11, 2018; Augusto Macoritto, Gifted Lensman, August 21, 2018; Mother Alba Puglia, Tireless Trailblazer, June 18, 2018; Michael Santone, A Barber Of King Street, January 23, 2018; Jimmy Roberto, You Could Find Him In The ‘Republic Of Roberto’, September 11, 2012.
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