Avenue of Heroes: Ralph J. Mitchell, Jr.

Prepared by: Belle Mitchell (daughter)

Lieutenant Commander Ralph Mitchell Jr. was born the only child to Belle Cross Thompson and General Ralph Johnson Mitchell on September 30, 1920, in Baltimore, Maryland. His mother was a passionate horticulturist, and his father oversaw the U.S. Marine Corps aviation in the South Pacific theatre during World War II.

Mitchell first came to Coronado in 1927 as a young child. The family moved several times and lived all over the United States, Guam, and Nicaragua. In Nicaragua, he learned to speak fluent Spanish – a talent that served him well throughout his life. He returned to Coronado in 1937 and graduated from Coronado High School in 1938. During his senior year at Coronado High School, LCDR Mitchell set the Coronado High School long jump record of 23 feet ¾ inches, which still stands 85 years later.

After high school, Mitchell went on to graduate from the University of Virginia. After graduation, he attended Navy Officer Candidate School and commissioned as an Ensign in Naval Intelligence. Due to his fluency in Spanish, he was assigned as the assistant Naval Attaché in Havana, Cuba during WWII. While stationed in Cuba, Mitchell’s duties included spying on German U-Boat activity along the coast. He found an eager collaborator for this adventure in new friend, Ernest Hemingway. Mitchell served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for another 11 years, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

After WWII, he worked in Greenville, South Carolina for Pittsburgh Paint & Glass as their regional manager before accepting a position with their Mexico City division. He returned to Coronado with his family in 1965, at which time Mitchell owned a car-leasing corporation in National City.

Mitchell was active in Coronado Rotary for nearly 50 years. He was a founding member of the Coronado Tennis Association, an accomplished piano player, a gifted athlete, and a man dedicated to his family and country. He had a wicked sense of humor and lived a life filled with acts of kindness towards others.

LCDR Mitchell passed away peacefully in 2013. He lived a full and rewarding life. He was pre-deceased by his wife, Florence Lewis Mitchell, and survived by his six children, 12 grandchildren, and five great-granddaughters.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 246 hometown heroes to date. On November 4, 2023, another 16 were honored. City staff and volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

In 2011, the program was inspired spontaneously with the movement of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. News spread quickly and the local Rotary Club passed out American flags. People lined Fourth Street to honor the fallen service members. As the procession approached the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting as he waited for the passage of his comrades. That moment made clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That spontaneous beginning launched the program in May 2015 with 18 banners. The Avenue of Heroes is a reminder that Coronado has a rich history and legacy of service to the country.