“Our respective professions have a lot to offer, especially as the world becomes more urban and dense. As designers we are—for better or worse—going to leave a big mark on that, and if it’s working like it’s supposed to, a good mark. It’s fun for me to watch Grace learning how to be a part of that, to be active in that.”
THE MITCHELLS
“Dad, you were right!” Some legacies try to fight it, but they eventually end up where they’re supposed to be.
Dennis and Anna Mitchell are designing the world we live in—inside and out.
going to give it up. I’ll be ready. We can have a practice that will cover both disciplines.” Grace currently envisions working in residential landscape design but is definitely open to exploring other possibilities. She sees the fourth-year semester-long internship (a curriculum requirement) as her opportunity to travel and experience working at a larger firm. “I’ve moved around and lived in lots of places, and I’ve really pushed the envelope for Grace to travel and see,” said Buddy. “I think there’s value there. You can be totally happy where you are, but you don’t know what you don’t know. Traveling might reinforce what you love about where you come from, or you might discover you like something else.” Most of all, Buddy is excited to see Grace pursuing a design profession.
10
Anna Mitchell’s father, Dennis, received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the Robert Reich School in 1989. He began working at LSU 12 years ago as the campus landscape architect and is currently the assistant director of master planning and construction. Before LSU he worked at a few architecture and engineering firms, but most influential was his time spent working for LSU Professor Emeritus Jon Emerson at Jon Emerson & Associates, a landscape architecture firm in Baton Rouge.
He adopted Emerson’s philosophy as his own. “Jon always wanted the project to be directed by the client. It was your job as the landscape architect to pull the personality out of the client and make the project memorable,” Dennis explained. That philosophy carries over into Dennis’s work at LSU. “I’ve been able to make a difference here. LSU is like a little city. We’re always pushing, raising the bar towards being the most attractive campus we can possibly be while making it safer and more navigable.” Anna inherited her father’s creative juices. She grew up watching her father draw and admired his craftsmanship. But when it came time to decide on a major, she went into pre-nursing, which Dennis said he found interesting.
“My favorite moment is when she called me and said, ‘Dad, you were right!’ ”