# Beth Mitchell

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{{short description|American shag dancer (1972-1998)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Beth Mitchell
| image              = Beth Webster Mitchell.jpg
| image_size         = 
| caption            = Mitchell in 1997
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1972|10|7|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [Greensboro, North Carolina](/source/Greensboro%2C_North_Carolina)
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1998|3|20|1972|10|7|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [Stoneville, North Carolina](/source/Stoneville%2C_North_Carolina)
| resting_place      = Stoneville Municipal Cemetery
| birth_name         = Elizabeth Webster Mitchell
| education          = [Dalton L. McMichael High School](/source/Dalton_L._McMichael_High_School)
| alma_mater         = [University of North Carolina at Greensboro](/source/University_of_North_Carolina_at_Greensboro)
| occupation         = Teacher, dancer
| relatives          = [J.J. Webster](/source/J.J._Webster) (great-grandfather)<br>[John Ray Webster](/source/John_Ray_Webster) (granduncle)<br>[Jeff Webster](/source/Jeff_Webster_(checkers_player)) (cousin)
}}

'''Elizabeth Webster Mitchell''' (October 7, 1972 – March 20, 1998) was an American educator and competitive [shag](/source/Carolina_shag) dancer. In 1998 she won the National Shag Dance Championship in [Myrtle Beach, South Carolina](/source/Myrtle_Beach%2C_South_Carolina). Mitchell was killed during the [1998 Gainesville–Stoneville tornado outbreak](/source/1998_Gainesville%E2%80%93Stoneville_tornado_outbreak) a week after she won the championship. She was posthumously inducted into the Beach Shaggers National Hall of Fame's Keepers Of The Dance in 2002.

== Early life and family ==
Mitchell was born on October 7, 1972, in [Greensboro, North Carolina](/source/Greensboro%2C_North_Carolina), to Worth Mitchell and Nancy Lee King.<ref name= keep/><ref name= gboro/> She was a great-granddaughter of the politician and businessman [James Jefferson Webster](/source/J.J._Webster), a grandniece of Captain [John Ray Webster](/source/John_Ray_Webster), and a cousin of checkers player [Jeff Webster](/source/Jeff_Webster_(checkers_player)).<ref name=encyclopedia>{{cite encyclopedia| last= King| first= Nancy Webster| title = James Jefferson Webster| encyclopedia = The Heritage of Rockingham County, North Carolina, 1983| date = 1983| publisher = Rockingham County Historical Society in cooperation with Hunter Publishing Company| location = Winston-Salem, North Carolina|page=676| isbn = 0-89459-212-2}}</ref> Through her mother she is descended from [Scottish](/source/Scotland) emigrants George Irving and Jane McDonald, who came to the United States in 1834 from [Closeburn](/source/Closeburn%2C_Dumfries_and_Galloway), [Dumfriesshire](/source/Dumfriesshire) aboard the ''[Hector](/source/Hector_(immigration_ship))''.<ref name= encyclopedia2>{{cite encyclopedia| last= King| first= Nancy Webster| title = George Irving - Jane McDonald| encyclopedia = The Heritage of Rockingham County, North Carolina, 1983| date = 1983 | publisher = Rockingham County Historical Society in cooperation with Hunter Publishing Company| location = Winston-Salem, North Carolina| pages=314, 315, 316| isbn = 0-89459-212-2}}</ref><ref name= Anderson>{{cite book| last = Anderson| first = Francis I.| title = Anderson & Irving of Rockingham County, N.C. Cox & Bryan of Onslow County, N.C. and Related Families| publisher = Avera Press| date = 1980| location = [Wendell, North Carolina](/source/Wendell%2C_North_Carolina)| pages = 36}}</ref> She descended maternally from the Robertson family, a [colonial Virginian family](/source/First_Families_of_Virginia), through her great-great grandmother Margaret Hurt Robertson.<ref name= Anderson/><ref>Robertson, ''Pocahontas and Her Descendants'', 40-41</ref> Through her Robertson ancestry, she was also a relative of mathematician [Ione Grogan](/source/Ione_Grogan).<ref name= Anderson/>

== Education and dance training ==
Mitchell began dancing [Carolina shag](/source/Carolina_shag), a form of [swing dance](/source/swing_dance), when she was nine years old.<ref name= keep/> As a teenager she became a competitive shag dancer and, at the age of fifteen, she joined the National Shaggers Association.<ref name= keep/> Mitchell attended [Dalton L. McMichael High School](/source/Dalton_L._McMichael_High_School), where she was a member of the cheerleading squad.<ref>{{cite news| title = ALL-STAR CHEERLEADERS| newspaper = [News & Record](/source/News_%26_Record)| location = Greensboro, North Carolina| publisher = Daniel P. Finnegan| date = July 24, 1990| url = https://www.greensboro.com/all-star-cheerleaders/article_980e9f48-2607-5666-9a0a-0636b818832e.html| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref> In 1990 she made the All-Star Cheerleading Squad for the 42nd Annual East-West All-Star Games in Greensboro.<ref>{{cite news| last = Welborn| first = Jane| title = ENTHUSIASM PAYS OFF ON SIDELINES, TOO| newspaper = [News & Record](/source/News_%26_Record)| location = Greensboro, North Carolina| publisher = Daniel P. Finnegan| date = July 24, 1990| url = https://www.greensboro.com/enthusiasm-pays-off-on-sidelines-too/article_eceee724-9349-5902-a532-92b2278d7140.html| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title = ALL-STAR CHEERLEADERS| newspaper = [News & Record](/source/News_%26_Record)| location = Greensboro, North Carolina| publisher = Daniel P. Finnegan| date = July 21, 1990| url = https://www.greensboro.com/all-star-cheerleaders/article_e919ce57-1d61-5ba8-984d-3f9f36999b3d.html}}</ref> After high school, Mitchell earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the [University of North Carolina at Greensboro](/source/University_of_North_Carolina_at_Greensboro), where she was a member of [Alpha Chi Omega](/source/Alpha_Chi_Omega).

== Career ==
Upon graduating from college, Mitchell worked as a second grade teacher at Stoneville Elementary School in [Stoneville, North Carolina](/source/Stoneville%2C_North_Carolina).<ref name= F3/><ref name= news/> She continued to compete in the non-professional shag circuit, including in two national championships.<ref name= keep/> Mitchell was the Non-Pro Champion of the National Shag Dancing Championship.<ref name= shag>{{cite web| url = http://www.shagdance.com/adobe/acsc_minutes/MW2019Minutes.pdf| title = A.C.S.C MEETING MINUTES 2019 MID-WINTER WORKSHOP – OD RESORT BALLROOM| date = January 19, 2019| website = ShagDance| publisher = Association of Carolina Shag Clubs| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref> She and her dance partner, Brad Kinard, won the championship in [Myrtle Beach, South Carolina](/source/Myrtle_Beach%2C_South_Carolina), in 1998.<ref name= dave>{{cite web| url = http://www.davehoekstra.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/myrtle_beach_sc.pdf| title = North Myrtle Beach| last = Hoekstra| first = Dave| date = January 30, 2005| website = davehoekstra.com| publisher = Dave Hoekstra| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref><ref name= wf/>

== Death ==
Mitchell died on March 20, 1998, a week after she won the National Shag Dancing Championship.<ref name= wf>{{cite news| last = Chilton| first = Eric| title = A Shag Competition This Weekend In The Triad| newspaper = [WFMY-TV](/source/WFMY-TV)| location = Greensboro, North Carolina| publisher = [CBS](/source/CBS)| date = January 9, 2020| url = https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/features/shag-competition-raises-money-scholarship-beth-mitchell/83-7bd93f3f-ffcc-41f0-8fd8-8d28c5dcfbd9| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref><ref name= gboro/> She and her mother were driving in their car when an [F3](/source/Fujita_scale) tornado hit Stoneville. Their car was thrown against the Claybrook Tire Shop as the building collapsed.<ref name= news>{{cite news| last = Smith| first = Heather J.| title = Ten years on, Stoneville tornado still brings vivid memories| newspaper = [The News & Advance](/source/The_News_%26_Advance)| publisher = Kelly Mirt| date = March 16, 2008| url = https://www.newsadvance.com/archives/ten-years-on-stoneville-tornado-still-brings-vivid-memories/article_154c6db5-c952-5191-aedc-1b3f4a34f4c3.html| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref> Mitchell's mother was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Mitchell died on the scene from the impact.<ref>{{cite news| last = Fedchenko| first = Vera| title = TORNADO DEMOLISHES DEALERSHIP| newspaper = Tire Business| publisher = [Crain Communications](/source/Crain_Communications)| date = March 30, 1998| url = https://www.tirebusiness.com/article/19980330/ISSUE/303309980/tornado-demolishes-dealership?=&CSAuthResp=1:473548341978179:52284:7:24:approved:1B883B55862C449F426C217674E31461&template=printart| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref> She was one of two people in Stoneville killed during the [1998 Gainesville-Stoneville tornado outbreak](/source/1998_Gainesville-Stoneville_tornado_outbreak).<ref name= dave/><ref name= F3>{{cite news| last = Silvers| first = Janson| title = Deadly F3 Tornado Slams Stoneville, Other Parts Rockingham Co.| newspaper = [WFMY-TV](/source/WFMY-TV)| location = Greensboro, North Carolina| publisher = [CBS](/source/CBS)| date = March 20, 2018| url = https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/march-20-1998-deadly-f3-tornado-slams-stoneville-other-parts-rockingham-co/83-530495322| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref><ref name= gboro>{{cite news| last = Banks| first = Margaret Moffett| title = Six months after the Stoneville tornado, Nancy Mitchell continues to grieve for her daughter. Slowly she is getting better.| newspaper = [News & Record](/source/News_%26_Record)| location = Greensboro, North Carolina| publisher = Daniel P. Finnegan| date = September 22, 1998| url = https://www.greensboro.com/six-months-after-the-stoneville-tornado-nancy-mitchell-continues-to/article_22828f7c-4234-5149-be89-e0c7a552cc5a.html| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref>

Mitchell is buried at Stoneville Municipal Cemetery.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/rockingham/cemeteries/stonevil.txt| title = Stoneville municipal cemetery, Rockingham Co. NC| website = US Gen Web Archives| publisher = The USGenWeb Project.| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
thumb|right|250px|Friendship Park fountain that is a memorial to Mitchell
After her death, the Beth Mitchell Memorial Scholarship was founded.<ref name= shag/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.shagnationals.com/scholarship-info| title = Beth Mitchell Memorial Scholarship| website = Shag Nationals| publisher = National Shag Dance Championships| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref> The scholarship, organized through the National Shag Dance Championships, is awarded to National Shag Dance contestants who are planning to attend college.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/life/things-to-do/article224166365.html| title = National Shag Dance Championships in Myrtle Beach SC| last = Bell| first = Josh| date = March 4, 2015| website = Myrtle Beach Online| publisher = Myrtle Beach Life| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last = Miller| first = Renata| title = Shagging with the Stars to return to North Myrtle Beach| newspaper = WFMB| publisher = [NBC News](/source/NBC_News)| date = November 5, 2015| url = https://www.wmbfnews.com/story/30447397/shagging-with-the-stars-to-return-to-north-myrtle-beach/| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.govserv.org/US/Myrtle-Beach/123757037650752/National-Shag-Dance-Championships| title = NATIONAL SHAG DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS| website = GovServ| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref> A dance competition named after her, the Beth Mitchell Memorial Shag Dance Competition, is held annually in Greensboro.<ref name= shag/><ref>{{cite web| url = https://competitiveshaggers.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/81455070_10216677451309478_1247939903614877696_n.jpg| title = Beth Mitchell Charity Mixed Doubles| date = January 11, 2020| website = Competitive Shaggers| publisher = Competitive Shaggers Association}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.winstonsalemshagclub.com/uploads/8/6/3/7/8637374/wssc_newsletter_december_2019.pdf| title = SHAGLIGHT| date = December 2019| website = Winston-Salem Shag Club| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref>

Friendship Park in downtown Stoneville was built as a memorial to Mitchell and Powell Hickman, a local farmer who was also killed by the 1998 tornado.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.town.stoneville.nc.us/your-government/friendship-park/| title = Friendship Park| website = Stoneville| publisher = Town of Stoneville, North Carolina| access-date = 6 April 2020| archive-date = 6 April 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200406162127/https://www.town.stoneville.nc.us/your-government/friendship-park/| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last = Hunt| first = Gerri| title = Mural to honor tornado victims, town history| newspaper = [News & Record](/source/News_%26_Record)| location = Greensboro, North Carolina| publisher = Daniel P. Finnegan| date = August 29, 2018| url = https://www.greensboro.com/rockingham_now/news/mural-to-honor-tornado-victims-town-history/article_aeafdb5a-ab8a-11e8-96ac-37cbf44e3905.html| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref>

In 2002 she was added to the Beach Shaggers National Hall of Fame's Keepers Of The Dance.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.keepersofthedance.com/meetthekeepers.html| title = Meet the Keepers of the Dance| date = 2015| website = Keepers of the Dance| publisher = Beach Shaggers National Hall of Fame| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref><ref name= keep>{{cite web| url = http://www.keepersofthedance.com/2002_Beth_Mitchell.pdf| title = Beth Mitchell - 2002| website = Keepers of the Dance| publisher = Beach Shaggers National Hall Of Fame| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref> She is also listed in Shag Atlanta's memorial.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.shagatlanta.com/eternal.html| title = In Memory of These Dancers who have Passed Away| date = 2012| website = ShagAtlanta| access-date = 6 April 2020}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Beth}}
Category:1972 births
Category:1998 deaths
Category:20th-century American educators
Category:20th-century American dancers
Category:American female dancers
Category:Schoolteachers from North Carolina
Category:20th-century American women educators
Category:American swing dancers
Category:Dancers from North Carolina
Category:Deaths in tornadoes
Beth
Category:People from Greensboro, North Carolina
Category:People from Rockingham County, North Carolina
Category:University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Beth Mitchell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Mitchell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Mitchell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.