W. O. Mitchell

William Ormond Mitchell (March 13, 1914 – February 25, 1998) was a Canadian writer and broadcaster. His "best-loved" novel is Who Has Seen the Wind, which portrays life on the Canadian Prairies from the point of view of a small boy and sold almost a million copies in Canada. As a broadcaster, he is known for his radio series Jake and the Kid, which aired on CBC Radio between 1950 and 1956 and was also about life on the Prairies.

Early life and career W. O. Mitchell was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. He studied psychology and philosophy at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and then completed his BA and a teaching certificate at the University of Alberta in 1943. While at the University of Alberta, Mitchell became a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Delta Phi chapter).

An author of novels, short stories, and plays, Mitchell is best known for his 1947 novel, Who Has Seen The Wind, which has sold close to a million copies in North America, Mitchell spent his later years in Calgary, Alberta, dying there in 1998.

Awards and honours In 1973, Mitchell was made an officer of the Order of Canada. The list of other honours Mitchell has received includes honorary doctorates from five Canadian universities and being sworn in as a Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on November 5, 1992. In 2000, Mitchell was honoured by the government of Canada with his image on a postage stamp.

Mitchell has had schools named after him in Calgary (W.O. Mitchell School) and Kanata, Ontario (W. O. Mitchell Elementary School).

The W.O. Mitchell Book Prize was also named for him.

Quotation Canadian actor Donald Sutherland quoted the following excerpt from Who Has Seen the Wind at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

List of works

Novels (1947) Who Has Seen the Wind (1962) The Kite (1973) The Vanishing Point (1981) How I Spent My Summer Holidays (1984) Since Daisy Creek (1988) Ladybug, Ladybug (1989) According to Jake and the Kid (1990) Roses are Difficult Here (1992) For Art's Sake

Radio (1950–1956) Jake and the Kid - ran weekly on CBC Radio (1951, 1965 published, 1974 play, 1993 book) The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon

Stage (1978) Back to Beulah - won the Chalmers Award, 1976 (1982) For Those in Peril on the Sea

Audio books (1997) An Evening with W.O. Mitchell - features Mitchell reading from his own work

Television (1977) The Magic Lie as host (1980) Canada Vignettes: Melvin Arbuckle, Famous Canadian as writer and narrator (1981) Titans as Stephen Leacock (1990) Road to Avonlea (1 episode - The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's) as Alexander Abraham