Jimmy Rea Shelby

1937–2012

Jimmy Rea Shelby earned the BS in accounting from UT in 1959 and immediately sat for and passed the CPA exam, becoming the youngest (at age 21) person in the country to have passed the exam. He started his career at Sail Oil, a chain of gas stations, in which his brother had a stake, as did Jim Haslam before founding Pilot Oil. Shelby was a partner with Arthur Anderson for 15 years before joining Price Waterhouse Coopers as partner in 1984. He joined The Trust Company as executive vice president and board member in 1997. He was one of the most influential wealth advisers in Tennessee and served on myriad boards of charitable organizations. He served on the Chancellor’s Associates as chair of the group and on the UT Development Council. In May 2012 a classroom in the Haslam Business Building was named for him.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Title Jimmy Rea Shelby
  • Coverage 1937–2012
  • Author
  • Keywords Jimmy Rea Shelby
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date May 14, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 16, 2018