Mr. Mitcham was born in Thomaston on July 4, 1933, to the late Mary Vining Mitcham and William Abe Mitcham. He graduated from R.E. Lee Institute in 1951. He then attended West Georgia College, Gordon Military College, and Georgia State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree, was designated a Distinguished Military Graduate, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Upon his release from active duty, he enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade, where he served with distinction for 32 years, during which his duty assignments included Brigade Inspector General, Brigade Provost Marshal, and Brigade Executive Officer. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. Mitcham was employed by the Georgia State Patrol for 9 years and Thomaston Mills for 39 years, where he retired as the Finishing Division Office Administrator. In 1959, he was appointed by the Governor as the director of the Thomaston-Upson County Civil Defense Rescue Unit (later known as the Emergency Management Agency). He developed one of the first federally recognized Civil Defense programs in the state of Georgia, comprising a fully functioning emergency operations center, mobile command units, and state / federal mandated training programs. The search and rescue unit quickly became one of the best in Georgia, saving countless lives and receiving Rescue Unit of the Year honors twice. It also served as a model by which many other counties developed their own units and provided training to units across middle Georgia. Under his leadership, the county obtained its first rescue truck in 1959. He later applied for and received federal funding for new rescue trucks in 1962 and 1964. He successfully helped local volunteer fire departments obtain needed equipment through the state surplus program. He also obtained funding through SPLOST to establish a new Emergency Operations Center, Rescue Complex, and Training Center, which the Upson County Commissioners named in his honor after proclaiming "Billy Mitcham Day" on June 9, 2007. He served the community in this capacity for 53 years, earning the distinction of the longest continually serving EMA director in the nation. During this tenure he spent countless hours developing, revising, and drilling emergency action plans for numerous types of emergencies and spent hours in the field with the organization on active search and rescue operations. His ability to network and bring departments across the city and county, and well as local churches and civic organizations together was a key in the long-term success of the unit and program. He is also credited with establishing a cadet program to get young boys involved in the Civil Defense / Emergency Management program, many of which went on to have successful careers in public service. Mr. Mitcham received one of the first Sertoma Service to Mankind Awards in the 1970's, the Thomaston-Upson Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, Director of the Year Award from the Georgia Emergency Management Association of Georgia in 2006, The Legends Award from the Georgia Emergency Management Association in 2012, a commendation from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency for "Contributions to Public Safety & Emergency Management" in 2012, and the Governor's Public Safety Award in 2012, for which his name is engraved at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA.
Beyond his public service, Mr. Mitcham was a much beloved and dedicated husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He is survived by this wife of 63 years, Peggy Morris Mitcham; three children: Larry (Brenda) Mitcham, Mary Ann (David) Harris, and Michael (Mandi) Mitcham; five grandchildren: Brandon (Whitley) Harris, Lindsey (Zach) Nelson, Lauren Mitcham, Vining Mitcham, and Davis Mitcham; and three great-grandchildren: Hugh Harris, Lucy Harris, and Charlotte Nelson. Fletcher-Day Funeral Home of Thomaston is in charge of all arrangements.
Condolences and remembrances may be expressed at www.fletcherdayfuneralhome.com
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