Charles B. Mikell Jr. ’63

We lost Charlie, retired chief judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals and a winner of a Bronze Star in Vietnam, Nov. 4, 2013, due to complications of multiple myeloma.

Known widely in Georgia as a superior jurist, an intellectual with wide interests, and a self-deprecating humorist, Charlie moved from litigation to the bench in 1985. In 2000 the governor appointed him to the appellate court. He was elected twice before retiring in 2012 because of health issues.

At Princeton he majored in history, joined ROTC, and was treasurer of Key and Seal. He learned to speak Czech on a Fulbright in Prague, started law school, and then went into Army intelligence. Attached to the CIA at Pleiku, he won a Gallantry Cross from the Republic of Vietnam.

Discharged as a captain, he finished law school at Georgia and began practice in his hometown of Savannah. Charlie devoted countless hours to the community (coaching, church, not-for-profits, and a foundation for troubled youth). The local newspaper cartoonist’s memorial depicted him with a halo.

The class shares the sorrow of his wife, Julia; his sons, Charles B. III ’04, John, and Samuel ’12; a brother, Samuel; and two grandsons.