Carrying the name - Mitchell “Mitch” Tising balanced baseball dreams with family legacy in High Point

Mitchell “Mitch” Tising (right) is pictured in 1954 after earning top honors at the Missouri State Fair for his cured ham, which was named grand champion and won the light ham division. A member of the well-known Tising family of High Point, he continued a tradition of excellence in agriculture that brought statewide recognition to the family’s work and reinforced their longstanding reputation in Moniteau County. Courtesy of Beverly (Tising) Meyer

For generations, the Tising name was tied to two enduring traditions: the crack of a baseball bat on a summer afternoon and the J.F. Tising & Sons Store. For Mitchell “Mitch” Tising, those traditions were lived, not inherited.

Born on March 6, 1909, Mitch Tising attended the one-room High Point Grade School. It was there, alongside cousins and neighbors, that he developed an early appreciation for both hard work and community life.

Baseball had long been woven into the identity of High Point. For the Tising family, the sport was passed through generations. Mitch’s father, Lloyd Tising, had earned recognition for his athletic abilities while his cousin, Johnnie “Jack” Tising, later reached the major leagues, pitching briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates. For Mitch, the game was both a connection to family and a path toward possibility.

After completing his early schooling in High Point, he continued his education at California High School, graduating in 1927. During his time there, he became part of a defining moment in the school’s history. In 1925, California High School adopted the “Pintos” as its mascot, a name that would endure for generations. Mitch was a member of the early basketball team associated with that era and later recalled being among those who first wore the Pintos name on their jerseys.

Following high school, he attended Chillicothe Business College in Missouri, where he spent two years studying business. While there, he continued to pursue his love of baseball, playing shortstop for the school’s team. In 1930, he took his passion for baseball a step further by trying out for the Kansas City Blues, a prominent minor league team and a steppingstone to the major leagues. Though he did not pursue a long-term professional career, his connection to the game did not end there.

The Moniteau County Herald captured one such moment in its May 27, 1937 edition under the headline “Kittenball Season Opens With Home Run,” noting, “May 24; The National League opened their 1937 season with a bang when Mitch Tising, 3rd baseman for the High Point Braves, banged the ball over the centerfield fence for a home run.”

A significant milestone in his personal life came in 1933. The Moniteau County Herald reported on Sept. 21 of that year, “Mitchell James Tising, son of Mr. and Mrs. L.J. Tising, and Miss Lillian Kays, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Kays of near High Point were married at the home of the officiating minister in California, Rev. A.M. Macdonnel, Wednesday evening, September 20, 1933.”

Together, Mitch and Lillian built a life centered on family, community and shared responsibility. They became the parents of two daughters, Beverly Meyer and Saundra Wiser, both of whom would later play a role in continuing the traditions of the Tising family.

If baseball represented aspiration, the family store represented responsibility.

Established in the late 19th century by his grandfather, J.F. Tising, the mercantile had become a cornerstone of High Point life, serving generations of customers and adapting through decades of change. It was more than a business and had become a gathering place where neighbors met, exchanged news and built relationships.

By the time Mitch came of age, the store had already endured significant challenges. It had survived fire, burglary and the economic strain of the Great Depression, when the Tising family extended credit to struggling customers, allowing them to maintain their livelihoods while ensuring the store’s continued operation.

In 1949, Mitch and his brother-in-law, L.R. “Frenchie” Martine, purchased an interest in the business following the retirement of his uncle. When his father died the following year, Mitch became part of the next generation responsible for guiding the store forward.

“He wanted to carry on the family tradition,” his daughter, Beverly Meyer, said.

Inside, the store retained its familiar character, with rolling ladders for reaching high shelves and a potbelly stove that served as a gathering place during the winter months. All the while, Mitch’s influence extended well beyond the store.

The Tising family had long been recognized for their agricultural success, particularly in cured ham competitions at the Missouri State Fair. As The Missouri Telegraph reported on Aug. 28, 1947, “The Tising family of High Point this year again took a lion’s share of the prizes in the cured ham contest at the Missouri State Fair. Seven members of the Moniteau County family exhibited 13 hams in the contest.... Out of 27 possible ribbons, the Tising entries won 19.”

That tradition continued in the years that followed. The California Democrat reported on Aug. 26, 1954, “Mitchell Tising, High Point, had the grand champion ham at the Missouri State Fair, it was just announced Monday. The ham was also the winner in the light ham division.”

Beverly Meyer recalled, “Dad’s family was very involved in the state fair for many years and for a while, it was the Tisings and the Burger family who were some of the most recognized names from the area when it came to hams. Because of this, I basically lived at the state fair for several days every summer while growing up.”

Life on the family farm was equally formative.

“The farm we lived on was about 200 acres and the house that was there basically fell down,” Meyer said. “In the early 1950s, my dad had the current house on the property built. While it was being built, we lived in a brooder house for chickens that had three rooms.”

Like his father before him, Mitch served his community through the Moniteau County Fair, taking on leadership roles and helping organize the fair’s centennial celebration in 1966. He remained connected to education as well, serving as secretary of the High Point school board during the construction of a new consolidated school in the early 1950s.

In 1974, Mitch became sole owner of the store after purchasing his partner’s interest, marking the culmination of decades of involvement in the family business. He continued to operate it for several more years, maintaining the traditions that had defined it for generations.

When Mitchell “Mitch” Tising passed away in 1983, he left behind more than a business. He left a legacy deeply woven into High Point history. The store would continue for a time under the care of his family before closing in 1990, ending more than a century of continuous operation.

For Mitch Tising, life was never about choosing between dreams and family commitment but honoring both. In doing so, the Tising family name carries on.
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Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the historical compilations “Moments on the Moreau” and “Beyond the Moreau.”