Lorraine Wilson and Mitch Mitchell
Joan Muyskens Pursley
In February, Mitch Mitchell and Lorraine Wilson joined the Robson Ranch Library Board of Directors. Both are regular library volunteers. Mitch currently works the Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m. shift, and Lorraine works two shifts: Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m., and Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mitch grew up in Oklahoma City and spent most of his life in that state. He is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and then went on to earn a graduate degree at the University of Oklahoma. He taught for three years, which he says, “taught me I needed an easier job.” He got an appointment to the Federal Court and worked as a United States Probation Officer for about 30 years.
“I retired in 2000 and did mostly volunteer work and a little junior college teaching until moving to Robson Ranch in 2016,” he says. Much of that volunteer work was with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), taking elderly and disabled people to doctors’ appointments. He also served as a volunteer substitute teacher.
“I chose to volunteer at the library in honor of my wife Lois who had been a volunteer for years,” he tells us. She died in January of 2022.
In addition to his library work, Mitch enjoys tennis and visits with his daughter Emily’s family, who live in Ponder. “Emily has been a teacher and school principal in the Denton ISD. She is now the Director of Staff Engagement for the school district. Her husband Patrick is a special ed teacher at Ponder High School. Their 17-year-old son Hank is a junior at that school,” Mitch says.
Lorraine spent more than 20 years working in commercial insurance, including as a licensed agent/broker in all 50 states for Surplus Lines Broker. In addition, she spent 20-plus years working in human resources in supervisory and management roles. “My specialty was developing and writing process and procedure manuals, safety manuals, and employee handbooks,” she says.
She moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Robson Ranch in March of 2021 and quickly became involved in many clubs. That first year, Lorraine became president of the Happy Tails Dog Club, for which she created a website (www.rrhappytailsdogclub.weebly.com), and regularly writes about the club for this newspaper. She is a member of Sassy Stampers, Kiln Krafters, Stained Glass, Gun Club, Rock & Roll Club, Under the Covers Book Club, Pen Club, and the Woodworkers Club. A lifelong reader and library advocate, she is also a member of Friends of the Library.
As if all this club activity isn’t enough, Lorraine plays bocce in the Corleone Division and is a bocce commissioner for another division. She maintains a plot in the community garden. She volunteers at a local animal rescue organization, Humane Tomorrow, where she serves on several committees, and is a member of the emergency response team. She shares her home with two dogs, Lassen and Roxie, and two cats, Ernie and Gertrude.
For more on the board members and duties, go to www.RobsonLibrary.org.