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By Ken Keuffel, Pfeiffer University

Many years ago, Jerry Shelby contemplated what his legacy would be. He asked himself: “Are you going to be a one-year wonder or a lifetime wonder?”
Pfeiffer University, where he earned his Master of Business Administration degree in 1990, has answered that question decisively. This past January, it announced the naming of the Jerry L. Shelby Center for Undergraduate Instruction to honor Shelby’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge and commitment to use his education to better the lives of others.
“Jerry Shelby models the values of servant leadership in so many ways,” said Jo Ellen Newsome, Pfeiffer’s VP of Institutional Advancement. “He is passionate about education, and passionate about helping others. We are proud to honor him in this way.”
Shelby, who lives in Salisbury, has also established the Jerry L. Shelby Business Endowed Scholarship in support of Pfeiffer University Business majors. He earned his MBA degree from Pfeiffer 30 years after graduating from St. Marys Memorial High School in St. Marys, Ohio. In 1988, he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina.
Shelby, who was unable to attend college immediately following high school, knows first-hand how valuable bachelor’s and master’s degrees are: Until he earned them, he excelled in a variety of capacities for several employers but was invariably passed over when openings for management positions emerged.
“I heard all my working life that you aren’t qualified because you don’t have a college degree,” he said. “I always had to overcome more.”
Despite this challenge, Shelby made a point of continuing his education and improving himself. He started with a home correspondence Business Management Diploma, and he attended college in the evenings to earn three business associate degrees before earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He also earned three professional certifications in the Supply Chain Management field, started new departments and plants, and was project chairman for major company projects throughout his career. He fully embraces education as a lifelong, continuous process, and still takes classes and tests for his volunteer activities.
Shelby’s life has also been a model of servant leadership. He is a decorated member of the Jaycees organization, which he credits with providing leadership training, community service projects, and lessons on running projects that he still uses today.
He was deeply influenced by the Jaycee Creed, which states: Service to Humanity is the Best Work of Life. His experience as a Jaycee led him to develop three personal philosophies that have guided his life and work: If you see a problem, you own it until it gets fixed, even if you are not responsible for it; if you are going to do something, then be committed to doing it better than it has ever been done before; and continue to improve yourself and the things with which you are involved.
His three philosophies have led him to serve as president or chairman of nearly everything with which he has become involved, and he has been honored with many awards, including local, district, state, and national recognitions. Some accolades include Ohio Outstanding Community Leader of the Year, Ohio and National Jaycee of the Year, Ohio and National Outstanding Committee Chairman, JCI Senator (Jaycee’s highest award), two Ohio MH&MR Project of the Year Awards, NC AARP first Legacy Award, AARP Community Service Award, AARP Andrus Award (AARP’s highest award), NC Distinguished Service Award – Outstanding Senior Citizen, NCSCA Earnest Messer Award, NC Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service, Rowan County Council on Aging Service to Seniors Award, Rufty/Holmes Senior Center Hall of Fame, and Limestone College Outstanding Alumni Award.
A volunteer for over 60 years, Shelby has been an advocate for victim’s rights, judicial reform, the elderly, the disabled and the disadvantaged. He has invested countless hours to being a voice to help thousands of people: over 2,000 clients assisted with Medicare and Social Security, 24 years of state and local AARP advocacy, and volunteer service as a driver safety instructor, a tax-aide, and as a Centralina Area Agency on Aging Ambassador. As a Rowan County Senior Tar Heel Legislature Representative, he has presented 14 Resolutions to the North Carolina legislature to make laws helping seniors and other citizens.
Shelby believes in “keeping at it” when it comes to making improvements in his work as a volunteer, no matter how long it might take. Right now, he’s doing his best to address a big problem people on Social Security are facing if they don’t have computers or smartphones.
“They can’t get into their Social Security accounts anymore to make changes because they have to have an email address, and they have to have a smartphone to get a text message code,” he said. “Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Shelby is the author of “Victims Have No Rights: A Victim’s (Pro SE) Experience with Insurance Companies and the Unjust Judicial System,” several organizational histories, “how to” technical manuals and numerous newspaper articles. He has also developed a website: www.victimshavenorights.com.
“Jerry tackles problems with a level of passion and commitment that is unlike anything I have ever seen. He really does live out his motto of owning an issue until it is fixed,” Newsome said. “Because of that, he has made an incredible difference in countless lives through his volunteer work. What a beautiful legacy.” “I hope people will see me volunteering and that my helping others will inspire more people to be involved,” Shelby said. “They can say, ‘If Jerry can do this, so can I.’ ”