Herschel K. Mitchell; Caltech Biochemist, Teacher

Herschel K. Mitchell, 86, a biochemist who was associated with Caltech as a teacher and researcher for more than 30 years. Born in Los Nietos, Calif., Mitchell showed an interest in chemistry at an early age. He received a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College in 1936, his master’s from Oregon State University two years later and his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Texas in 1941. After doing research at the University of Texas and Stanford University, Mitchell moved to Caltech in 1946. He became a full professor there in 1953. Among his many research projects, he investigated the biochemistry of fruit flies and explored the process of biological development. He then went on to study heat shock, the effect of brief exposures to heat on the biochemistry of cells and tissues. As an educator, Mitchell trained and mentored two generations of biochemists and biologists at Caltech. After a stroke in 1990, Mitchell overcame a discouraging prognosis and recovered his speech and rebounded somewhat from paralysis. On Saturday at St. Luke’s Hospital in Pasadena from the effects of a second stroke.