The highest mountain in eastern North America bears the name of Elisha Mitchell (1793-1857). A native of New England, Mitchell graduated from Yale in 1813 and earned a master of arts degree there in 1816. He joined the small faculty of the University of North Carolina in 1818, initially teaching mathematics and natural philosophy, a broad subject area that included botany. In 1825, he moved to the university’s only other science professorship in chemistry, mineralogy, and geology. Mitchell was an industrious, energetic man who took on other duties at the university and in the community. For a time in 1835, he even served as acting president of the university. He was also an ordained Presbyterian minister and preached regularly. In 1840 he received an honorary doctor of divinity degree and was known as “Dr. Mitchell.”