On August 21, 1954, Fort Worth, Texas witnessed the birth of a visionary.
Nikki Mitchell saw only great possibilities in life and in others. After successful import and artistic ventures in Texas, Nikki landed in Nashville to helm the enterprises of the legendary Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. She served as President of their company for 22 years.
During her tenure there, she made history of her own with the Bridge of Wings flight. In 1998, she circumnavigated the northern hemisphere as co-captain in a single engine aircraft. In the Russian segment of the journey, this venture unified two countries by flying side by side in formation with two Russian women to retrace the historical 1938 Flight of the Rodina. This commemorative flight served to spotlight the heroic Soviet female pilots whom time had forgotten.
In December 2010, Nikki was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a possible three-month prognosis. Taking the bull by the horns, she consulted with renowned medical professionals around the country and her zeal for life never diminished. After thirty-one months of battling this disease, Nikki embarked upon her final adventure on July 9th, 2013.
Her last dream was to save others from the devastating disease of pancreatic cancer. Caring about early detection research led Nikki to participate, upon her death, in a floating tumor cell research program facilitated by Johns Hopkins Hospital. Nikki’s donation was the first to contribute a vast amount of data to the scientists. We invite you to be a part of this dream and its realization by joining with the Nikki Mitchell Foundation (NMF) to find a means for early detection and the ultimate cure for pancreatic cancer.