James Wylie Shepherd, beloved husband and father, accomplished businessman, passionate outdoorsman, and respected community leader, died November 29th. He was 92.
Driven, intentional, caring, and highly ethical; an intellectual who didn't have much time for fiction; a man prone to awe and was compelled to share it with others – that was Jimmy.
Born on September 7, 1928, Jimmy came of age during the Great Depression and World War 2. He attended Birmingham University School and was the sole member of the B.U.S. class of 1945. At age sixteen, he enrolled into Virginia Military Institute, graduating with a degree in civil engineering. He later attended graduate school at the University of Alabama where he earned an MBA.
Following graduate school, Jimmy joined Shepherd Realty Company with his father Everett and brothers Everett, Jr., and Bob. Soon the company embarked on what would become one of the premiere commercial real estate projects of the era: the development of Brookwood Village.
Jimmy's cousin Charlie Sharp joined the family development team which endeavored for nearly a decade to bring the project to life. After the construction, leasing, management, and eventual sale of Brookwood Village in 1986, Jimmy continued to invest in real estate.
In collaboration with partner Clarence Blair, his most notable post-Brookwood Village undertaking was the acquisition of the Cataloochee Ski Slope in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The transaction earned Jimmy a feature on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
Jimmy was a lifelong member of Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) where he served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, president of the congregation, moderator of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, and board member of the Montreat Conference Center. Jimmy was a founding board member of Kirkwood by the River, a retirement home on the Cahaba River developed by IPC, where he was well cared-for during the last years of his life.
Special thanks go to his caregivers Daniel and Margaret Waseka, Edward Kagwima, Tina Amaechi, and Grace Esezobor. Community service was central to Jimmy's life.
He was president of the downtown Birmingham Kiwanis Club, chairman of the board of Lakeshore Hospital, board chairman and trustee of the Birmingham YMCA, board chairman of The Altamont School, trustee of the VMI Foundation, and a United Way volunteer. Socially, Jimmy was a member of Mountain Brook Club and the Redstone Club where he was a past president. Jimmy had a great love for the Boy Scouts of America. After becoming an Eagle Scout in his youth, Jimmy served the scouts in various local and national positions as an adult, including three BSA high adventure bases: Philmont Scout Ranch, Florida National Sea Base, and the Northern Tier Canoe Base where he was Chairman. He received the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Distinguished Eagle recognitions, together with the Silver Buffalo – scouting's highest national honor for service to youth. Scouting seeded Jimmy's love of nature and the outdoors.
He was an accomplished birder, participating in numerous Birmingham Audubon Society outings, and for twenty-five years conducted annual breeding bird surveys on behalf of the National Fish and Wildlife Service. Together with his wife Frances, Jimmy and their cherished Canoe Group paddled and camped along the wild and scenic rivers of the southeast during the 1970's and 80's. His greatest outdoors passion was leading trips into the Canadian canoe country wilderness of the Quetico Provincial Park, where he amassed a total of forty expeditions over the course of his lifetime. Jimmy's wonderment of the natural world sparked a devotion to the study of astrophysics. From lecturing at the family dinner table on the strangeness of neutron stars to delivering speeches on cosmology to larger groups, Jimmy found great joy sharing what he had learned of the marvels of the universe.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Everett Shepherd, Sr. (1895-1972), and Ida Osceola “Bobbie” Wylie Shepherd (1899-1981), and by his brother Everett Shepherd, Jr. (1926-1997).
He is survived by his brother Robert Wylie Shepherd, his wife of fifty-seven years Frances Bell Shepherd, son James Wylie Shepherd Jr. (Katherine), daughter Margaret Tate Shepherd, and grandchildren Abigail Aydlette Shepherd, James Wylie Shepherd, III, Frances Tate Shuttlesworth, and Margaret Marelle Shuttlesworth.
Driven, intentional, caring, and highly ethical; an intellectual who didn't have much time for fiction; a man prone to awe and was compelled to share it with others – that was Jimmy.
Born on September 7, 1928, Jimmy came of age during the Great Depression and World War 2. He attended Birmingham University School and was the sole member of the B.U.S. class of 1945. At age sixteen, he enrolled into Virginia Military Institute, graduating with a degree in civil engineering. He later attended graduate school at the University of Alabama where he earned an MBA.
Following graduate school, Jimmy joined Shepherd Realty Company with his father Everett and brothers Everett, Jr., and Bob. Soon the company embarked on what would become one of the premiere commercial real estate projects of the era: the development of Brookwood Village.
Jimmy's cousin Charlie Sharp joined the family development team which endeavored for nearly a decade to bring the project to life. After the construction, leasing, management, and eventual sale of Brookwood Village in 1986, Jimmy continued to invest in real estate.
In collaboration with partner Clarence Blair, his most notable post-Brookwood Village undertaking was the acquisition of the Cataloochee Ski Slope in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The transaction earned Jimmy a feature on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
Jimmy was a lifelong member of Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) where he served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, president of the congregation, moderator of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, and board member of the Montreat Conference Center. Jimmy was a founding board member of Kirkwood by the River, a retirement home on the Cahaba River developed by IPC, where he was well cared-for during the last years of his life.
Special thanks go to his caregivers Daniel and Margaret Waseka, Edward Kagwima, Tina Amaechi, and Grace Esezobor. Community service was central to Jimmy's life.
He was president of the downtown Birmingham Kiwanis Club, chairman of the board of Lakeshore Hospital, board chairman and trustee of the Birmingham YMCA, board chairman of The Altamont School, trustee of the VMI Foundation, and a United Way volunteer. Socially, Jimmy was a member of Mountain Brook Club and the Redstone Club where he was a past president. Jimmy had a great love for the Boy Scouts of America. After becoming an Eagle Scout in his youth, Jimmy served the scouts in various local and national positions as an adult, including three BSA high adventure bases: Philmont Scout Ranch, Florida National Sea Base, and the Northern Tier Canoe Base where he was Chairman. He received the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Distinguished Eagle recognitions, together with the Silver Buffalo – scouting's highest national honor for service to youth. Scouting seeded Jimmy's love of nature and the outdoors.
He was an accomplished birder, participating in numerous Birmingham Audubon Society outings, and for twenty-five years conducted annual breeding bird surveys on behalf of the National Fish and Wildlife Service. Together with his wife Frances, Jimmy and their cherished Canoe Group paddled and camped along the wild and scenic rivers of the southeast during the 1970's and 80's. His greatest outdoors passion was leading trips into the Canadian canoe country wilderness of the Quetico Provincial Park, where he amassed a total of forty expeditions over the course of his lifetime. Jimmy's wonderment of the natural world sparked a devotion to the study of astrophysics. From lecturing at the family dinner table on the strangeness of neutron stars to delivering speeches on cosmology to larger groups, Jimmy found great joy sharing what he had learned of the marvels of the universe.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Everett Shepherd, Sr. (1895-1972), and Ida Osceola “Bobbie” Wylie Shepherd (1899-1981), and by his brother Everett Shepherd, Jr. (1926-1997).
He is survived by his brother Robert Wylie Shepherd, his wife of fifty-seven years Frances Bell Shepherd, son James Wylie Shepherd Jr. (Katherine), daughter Margaret Tate Shepherd, and grandchildren Abigail Aydlette Shepherd, James Wylie Shepherd, III, Frances Tate Shuttlesworth, and Margaret Marelle Shuttlesworth.
James Wylie Shepherd, beloved husband and father, accomplished businessman, passionate outdoorsman, and respected community leader, died November 29th. He was 92.
Driven, intentional, caring, and highly ethical; an intellectual who didn't have much time for fiction; a man prone to awe and was compelled to share it with others – that was Jimmy.
Born on September 7, 1928, Jimmy came of age during the Great Depression and World War 2. He attended Birmingham University School and was the sole member of the B.U.S. class of 1945. At age sixteen, he enrolled into Virginia Military Institute, graduating with a degree in civil engineering. He later attended graduate school at the University of Alabama where he earned an MBA.
Following graduate school, Jimmy joined Shepherd Realty Company with his father Everett and brothers Everett, Jr., and Bob. Soon the company embarked on what would become one of the premiere commercial real estate projects of the era: the development of Brookwood Village.
Jimmy's cousin Charlie Sharp joined the family development team which endeavored for nearly a decade to bring the project to life. After the construction, leasing, management, and eventual sale of Brookwood Village in 1986, Jimmy continued to invest in real estate.
In collaboration with partner Clarence Blair, his most notable post-Brookwood Village undertaking was the acquisition of the Cataloochee Ski Slope in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The transaction earned Jimmy a feature on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
Jimmy was a lifelong member of Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) where he served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, president of the congregation, moderator of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, and board member of the Montreat Conference Center. Jimmy was a founding board member of Kirkwood by the River, a retirement home on the Cahaba River developed by IPC, where he was well cared-for during the last years of his life.
Special thanks go to his caregivers Daniel and Margaret Waseka, Edward Kagwima, Tina Amaechi, and Grace Esezobor. Community service was central to Jimmy's life.
He was president of the downtown Birmingham Kiwanis Club, chairman of the board of Lakeshore Hospital, board chairman and trustee of the Birmingham YMCA, board chairman of The Altamont School, trustee of the VMI Foundation, and a United Way volunteer. Socially, Jimmy was a member of Mountain Brook Club and the Redstone Club where he was a past president. Jimmy had a great love for the Boy Scouts of America. After becoming an Eagle Scout in his youth, Jimmy served the scouts in various local and national positions as an adult, including three BSA high adventure bases: Philmont Scout Ranch, Florida National Sea Base, and the Northern Tier Canoe Base where he was Chairman. He received the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Distinguished Eagle recognitions, together with the Silver Buffalo – scouting's highest national honor for service to youth. Scouting seeded Jimmy's love of nature and the outdoors.
He was an accomplished birder, participating in numerous Birmingham Audubon Society outings, and for twenty-five years conducted annual breeding bird surveys on behalf of the National Fish and Wildlife Service. Together with his wife Frances, Jimmy and their cherished Canoe Group paddled and camped along the wild and scenic rivers of the southeast during the 1970's and 80's. His greatest outdoors passion was leading trips into the Canadian canoe country wilderness of the Quetico Provincial Park, where he amassed a total of forty expeditions over the course of his lifetime. Jimmy's wonderment of the natural world sparked a devotion to the study of astrophysics. From lecturing at the family dinner table on the strangeness of neutron stars to delivering speeches on cosmology to larger groups, Jimmy found great joy sharing what he had learned of the marvels of the universe.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Everett Shepherd, Sr. (1895-1972), and Ida Osceola “Bobbie” Wylie Shepherd (1899-1981), and by his brother Everett Shepherd, Jr. (1926-1997).
He is survived by his brother Robert Wylie Shepherd, his wife of fifty-seven years Frances Bell Shepherd, son James Wylie Shepherd Jr. (Katherine), daughter Margaret Tate Shepherd, and grandchildren Abigail Aydlette Shepherd, James Wylie Shepherd, III, Frances Tate Shuttlesworth, and Margaret Marelle Shuttlesworth.
Driven, intentional, caring, and highly ethical; an intellectual who didn't have much time for fiction; a man prone to awe and was compelled to share it with others – that was Jimmy.
Born on September 7, 1928, Jimmy came of age during the Great Depression and World War 2. He attended Birmingham University School and was the sole member of the B.U.S. class of 1945. At age sixteen, he enrolled into Virginia Military Institute, graduating with a degree in civil engineering. He later attended graduate school at the University of Alabama where he earned an MBA.
Following graduate school, Jimmy joined Shepherd Realty Company with his father Everett and brothers Everett, Jr., and Bob. Soon the company embarked on what would become one of the premiere commercial real estate projects of the era: the development of Brookwood Village.
Jimmy's cousin Charlie Sharp joined the family development team which endeavored for nearly a decade to bring the project to life. After the construction, leasing, management, and eventual sale of Brookwood Village in 1986, Jimmy continued to invest in real estate.
In collaboration with partner Clarence Blair, his most notable post-Brookwood Village undertaking was the acquisition of the Cataloochee Ski Slope in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The transaction earned Jimmy a feature on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
Jimmy was a lifelong member of Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) where he served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, president of the congregation, moderator of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, and board member of the Montreat Conference Center. Jimmy was a founding board member of Kirkwood by the River, a retirement home on the Cahaba River developed by IPC, where he was well cared-for during the last years of his life.
Special thanks go to his caregivers Daniel and Margaret Waseka, Edward Kagwima, Tina Amaechi, and Grace Esezobor. Community service was central to Jimmy's life.
He was president of the downtown Birmingham Kiwanis Club, chairman of the board of Lakeshore Hospital, board chairman and trustee of the Birmingham YMCA, board chairman of The Altamont School, trustee of the VMI Foundation, and a United Way volunteer. Socially, Jimmy was a member of Mountain Brook Club and the Redstone Club where he was a past president. Jimmy had a great love for the Boy Scouts of America. After becoming an Eagle Scout in his youth, Jimmy served the scouts in various local and national positions as an adult, including three BSA high adventure bases: Philmont Scout Ranch, Florida National Sea Base, and the Northern Tier Canoe Base where he was Chairman. He received the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Distinguished Eagle recognitions, together with the Silver Buffalo – scouting's highest national honor for service to youth. Scouting seeded Jimmy's love of nature and the outdoors.
He was an accomplished birder, participating in numerous Birmingham Audubon Society outings, and for twenty-five years conducted annual breeding bird surveys on behalf of the National Fish and Wildlife Service. Together with his wife Frances, Jimmy and their cherished Canoe Group paddled and camped along the wild and scenic rivers of the southeast during the 1970's and 80's. His greatest outdoors passion was leading trips into the Canadian canoe country wilderness of the Quetico Provincial Park, where he amassed a total of forty expeditions over the course of his lifetime. Jimmy's wonderment of the natural world sparked a devotion to the study of astrophysics. From lecturing at the family dinner table on the strangeness of neutron stars to delivering speeches on cosmology to larger groups, Jimmy found great joy sharing what he had learned of the marvels of the universe.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Everett Shepherd, Sr. (1895-1972), and Ida Osceola “Bobbie” Wylie Shepherd (1899-1981), and by his brother Everett Shepherd, Jr. (1926-1997).
He is survived by his brother Robert Wylie Shepherd, his wife of fifty-seven years Frances Bell Shepherd, son James Wylie Shepherd Jr. (Katherine), daughter Margaret Tate Shepherd, and grandchildren Abigail Aydlette Shepherd, James Wylie Shepherd, III, Frances Tate Shuttlesworth, and Margaret Marelle Shuttlesworth.
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