Although “You can’t hurry love,” often rings true, it does have its own pace, which is what the Mitchells experienced in 1995.
Katherine and Chris came to Missouri Southern to study education. While they were both in the same department, the couple didn’t share any classes. But she had noticed him in February, after the final meeting of their professional semester.
“I had noticed him,” Katherine reminisced. “I noticed his beautiful blue eyes, red hair, rugged look, and smile. He was wearing his dad's green military style coat and boots. He had a ‘I've-got-the-world-on-a-string’ look about him, and when he looked at me, I melted.”
The door to meet opened—figuratively.
“We met when I accidentally slammed a door on her,” Chris said. “I was playing with another student while leaving Billingsly Student Center and shoved the door closed as she walked through.”
"It was my chance,” said Katherine.
She hesitated for a moment—she should say something, but she didn’t know him. Regardless, she let go of her inhibitions and blurted:
“I can’t believe you just did that to me.”
Chris—impressed that she called him out on his bad behavior—turned around, smiled, and apologized. That triggered their first real conversation, and Chris later walked her to her car.
“I thought she was beautiful, and I still do!” he said. “I knew we needed to go out.”
He debriefed the meet-cute with his roommate that afternoon, announcing that he had met a beautiful girl in a red coat with brown eyes (Katherine’s eyes are green). The roommate’s girlfriend, who knew Katherine, was certain that the couple wouldn’t work out, but Chris was determined.
“Our first date was the next week on February 16th.”
They had an instant connection. While dating, they met in the halls at MSSU, and Chris would drive to see Katherine in her hometown of Monett.
They even called each other while Katherine was in New Orleans during a University Teaching trip.
“We meshed well,” said Katherine. “Chris is outgoing, and I am more reserved. I was drawn to him. He melted my heart when he spoke. He was everything I was looking for in a man.”
That trip was enough to solidify that they wanted to be together.
"We got engaged two months after our first date,” she said. “Chris asked me to marry him at the end of March after the trip. We were married by July, so it was very quick.”
Now officially the Mitchells, Katherine and Chris both graduated college and decided to relocate wherever the first job offer is located. Chris won, and they moved to Webb City where he taught high school biology, and Katherine taught kindergarten.
“Since we did not know each other very well after getting married, our first year was a bit hard,” Katherine said. “Chris coached in addition to teaching, so he was gone a lot. I was in a new city and didn't know anyone. Eventually, I became more comfortable and built relationships in the school I was teaching.”
“We understood the requirements of our professions, and sometimes misunderstandings due to those requirements,” said Chris. “That was an important part of our marital and familial success.”
Today, after Chris retired from the Joplin school district and Katherine from Webb City, the Mitchells are working their retirement careers here at MSSU. Chris is the coordinator of Student Disability Services, and Katherine is the administrative assistant in University Relations and Marketing. Both are also adjuncts in the education department. This year, they will celebrate their 30th anniversary on July 22nd. They are parents to two adult children with one grandson and a granddaughter on the way.
“He was and is considerate,” Katherine said. “We have wonderful conversations and can talk about anything and everything. He brings me out of my comfort zone in that I don't need to plan everything and to just go with the flow like him. He is everything I dreamed of in a man. I adore him.”
“There are things in my life that I wish I could go back to and play out differently—that interaction and the choices made as a result are not on that list,” said Chris. “What a fortunate man I am.”
