Bastyr founder was talented guitar player

Bob Nelson sat in a kitchen befitting a folksinger. With a houseplant’s trailing fronds as a backdrop, he strummed his old Martin guitar. Still in good voice at 69, he sang the words of “The Little Land.”

“I like the old traditional ballads,” he said. “The ones that tell a story.”

At his home in Everett on Monday, he told a story of his own. Nelson had called The Herald after reading of the death of Dr. William Mitchell Jr.

A naturopathic physician and co-founder of Bastyr University, Mitchell died of a heart attack Jan. 23 in Seattle. He was 59.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

According to the Associated Press and the Kenmore-based naturopathic school, Mitchell died only hours after the same type of heart ailment, myocardial infarction, killed his 27-year-old son, Noah Mitchell.

William Mitchell was renowned in the world of natural medicine, and wrote several books on the topic. In his Everett kitchen, Nelson spoke of another aspect of the man who helped create the country’s first accredited naturopathic school.

“He was an incredible guitar teacher. I took private guitar lessons from him. He was just incredible,” Nelson said.

In the mid-1970s, Nelson, Mitchell and several other musicians ran a folk guitar program at Everett Community College. Their evening classes attracted guitarists of all ages. “Bill Mitchell probably taught hundreds of students here,” Nelson said.

A Bastyr University news release said “Mitchell was an extraordinarily gifted guitarist who was on the cover of Time magazine at age 16 in his capacity as the private tutor for the owner of a leading guitar company.”

According to Bastyr, Mitchell’s guitar teaching helped support his young family and paid tuition at the Natural College of Naturopathic Medicine, then based in Seattle.

Nelson, now a deck builder, said the EvCC guitar program evolved from “a huge music scene in Bellingham and a huge music scene in Seattle.”

“We were in the middle,” Nelson said. Everett’s fledgling folk scene drew top instructors from Seattle and Bellingham, including Mitchell.

“There was a vibrancy in the ’70s. The college was where it was happening,” Nelson said. Black-and-white pictures in his photo album take him back. From 1974 until 1978 or ‘79, EvCC hosted annual folk festivals that spanned several days.

Julie Sakahara and Joe Vinikow, who now teach through their Seattle business Guitar for Grownups, were among the cadre of instructors at EvCC back then.

“It was a very wonderful time,” said Sakahara. “Back then there was interest in American traditional arts of all kinds, music and crafts. It was back to the land. If you played a musical instrument, people were really happy to have you play. People supported musicians.”

“We worked individually on contract,” said Vinikow, who recalled sessions at EvCC packed with people from all walks of life. “There were sometimes 40 people in a class. I remember guys who were mill hands, some of whom may not have had all their fingers.”

While Nelson called himself “a traditionalist and a balladeer,” he said Mitchell’s focus was jazz.

“He was really my first serious experience with jazz. He was extremely focused when he picked up a guitar,” Nelson said. “Bill was the most unassuming guy. He was very modest.”

The Everett man hadn’t been in touch with Mitchell in years, but knew of his professional achievements. Mitchell, along with Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, Dr. Lester Griffith and Sheila Quinn, founded Bastyr in 1978.

Nelson was also aware of a tragedy Mitchell was involved in several years ago. In 2004, Mitchell was charged with vehicular homicide after his car struck 44-year-old Thien Nguyen as she crossed a street at night in Shoreline.

Prosecutors said the doctor had a blood alcohol level of .08, the legal threshold for intoxication. But a King County Superior Court judge declared a mistrial after the jury became deadlocked, according to the Associated Press.

After the accident, “I struggled about whether to call him,” Nelson said. “Years ago, he and I were very close.”

Pizzorno said he knew little of his friend’s life as a guitar teacher in Everett. He wasn’t surprised that Mitchell was as successful in the arts as he was in healing.

“Bill had a remarkable way of helping people feel better about themselves. Patients loved him. Students loved him,” Pizzorno said. “He had a warmth and sincerity that came through to all who knew him.”

In his warm kitchen, Nelson’s thoughts took him back though the years. He still plays music, but it’s not the same world.

“Those were gentle times,” he said.

Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Cars drive along Cathcart Way next to the site of the proposed Eastview Village development that borders Little Cedars Elementary on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in unincorporated Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Former engineer: Snohomish County rushed plans for Eastview development

David Irwin cited red flags from the developers. After he resigned, the county approved the development that’s now stalled with an appeal

Outside of the Madrona School on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sewer district notifies Edmonds schools of intent to sue

The letter of intent alleges the school district has failed to address long-standing “water pollution issues” at Madrona K-8 School.

Everett
Man stabbed in face outside Everett IHOP, may lose eye

Police say the suspect fled in the victim’s car, leading officers on a 6-mile chase before his arrest.

A person walks up 20th Street Southeast to look at the damage that closed the road on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WA delegation urges Trump to reconsider request for bomb cyclone aid

The Washington state congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on… Continue reading

Aaron Weinstock uses an x-ray machine toy inside the Imagine Children Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Imagine Children’s Museum $250k grant reinstated following federal court order

The federal grant supports a program that brings free science lessons to children throughout rural Snohomish County.

Snohomish County 911 Executive Director Kurt Mills talks about the improvements made in the new call center space during a tour of the building on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New 911 center in Everett built to survive disaster

The $67.5 million facility brings all emergency staff under one roof with seismic upgrades, wellness features and space to expand.

Everett
Five arrested in connection with Everett toddler’s 2024 overdose death

More than a year after 13-month-old died, Everett police make arrests in overdose case.

Madison Family Shelter Family Support Specialist Dan Blizard talks about one of the pallet homes on Monday, May 19, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Madison Family Shelter reopens after hiatus

The Pallet shelter village, formerly Faith Family Village, provides housing for up to eight families for 90 days.

Brian Murril, who started at Liberty Elementary as a kindergartner in 1963, looks for his yearbook photograph during an open house for the public to walk through the school before its closing on Thursday, May 29, 2025 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Locals say goodbye to Marysville school after 74 years

Liberty Elementary is one of two schools the Marysville School District is closing later this year to save costs.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks at a round table discussion with multiple Snohomish County agencies about the Trump administrator restricting homelessness assistance funding on Thursday, May 29, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sen. Murray hears from county homelessness assistance providers

In early May, Snohomish County sued the Trump administration for putting unlawful conditions on $16.7M in grant funding.

Gov. Bob Ferguson, at podium, goes to shake hands with state Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, at the signing of a bill to make clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, on May 2, 2025 in Olympia. At center is Mary Dispenza, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project. (Photo by Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)
Bishops sue to overturn new WA law requiring clergy to report child abuse

They argue it is unconstitutional to force Catholic priests to divulge information learned in confession.

DNR removes derelict barge from Spencer Island

The removal was done in partnership with state Fish and Wildlife within a broader habitat restoration project.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.