The 2026 Spears School of Business Hall of Fame class features a lifelong farmer, the co-founder of a bank and an entrepreneur who renovated movie theaters.

They’re all the same person.

Meet Kenneth Mitchell, who graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1961. Mitchell used his accounting degree to succeed in numerous business ventures, exploring possibilities beyond the conventional office job.

Most importantly, he had fun doing it.

“I’ve had a really great life,” said Mitchell, who is still farming at 87. “I tell my grandkids, if you can find something that you really like, you’ll want to get up every morning and go to work. If you get something that you don’t like, it’s going to be a really long life.”

At a young age, Mitchell learned to not take life for granted. Born in Enid, Oklahoma, he was only 8 when his mother died of leukemia at 30. An only child, Mitchell saw an example in his father, Roy, who provided for his son after the tragedy.

“He knew farming,” Mitchell said. “So, he bought this combine, and he made trips from Texas to Canada cutting wheat during wheat harvests and milo harvests.”

Mitchell learned about farming as he grew up, and he also started thinking about college. After moving to Elkhart, Kansas, Mitchell decided to reunite with his friends from Enid who went to OSU. He arrived in 1957, the year the university changed its name from Oklahoma A&M College.

While pursuing his accounting degree, Mitchell participated in ROTC, then mandatory for freshman and sophomore men. After graduation, he went through Army Basic Training in Fort Hood, Texas.

As a lieutenant, he was stationed in Germany and Turkey for a couple of years, but he didn’t see military life as a long-term fit for him and his wife, Linda.

In 1964, the family farm was calling.

Back at home, Mitchell drilled his first irrigation well in January 1965. Today, he manages Mitchell Farms from its Oklahoma panhandle headquarters in Texas County with his son, Brian, and about 15 full-time employees.

“Together, we’ve grown the farm until we’ve got about 35,000 acres of farmland,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell never abandoned the farm, but he added new pursuits. He and his father were co-founders of the First National Bank of Elkhart in 1985.

Somewhere along the way, his ventures expanded from harvesting corn to selling popcorn.

He revived a shopping center from bankruptcy in Guymon, Oklahoma, and, with help from Brian’s creativity, installed a five-screen movie theater in it.

Today, Mitchell Theatres operates 107 screens across seven states. The Mitchells found success purchasing and renovating small-town theaters while keeping tickets and concessions affordable.

Mitchell said the theaters have recently experienced a boost as people seek social outlets.

“You can see a lot at home, but it’s fun to see it on a big screen and have the other people laughing or booing,” Mitchell said. “People still like to go to the theater.”

Mitchell passed his business acumen down to his children — Brian, Brent and Kendra — and his nine grandchildren, all of whom are college graduates.

Wanting everyone to have these opportunities, Mitchell has spent more than 40 years funding scholarships for higher education at OSU.

He keeps reaching milestones as he reflects on harvesting his 62nd irrigated crop, celebrating his 65th wedding anniversary with Linda and cherishing his first great-grandchild. Induction into the Spears Business Hall of Fame is another reason to celebrate, and Mitchell is all about joy.

“Being happy in life is one of the most important things you could do,” Mitchell said. “Life’s too short not to like life.”