Dr. Annette Shelby, an accomplished academician and the wife of retired Alabama U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, has died at age 86.
Most Alabamians know Dr. Shelby as the spouse of their long-serving former U.S. Senator. In academic circles and the field of business communication, she was a leader and sterling professor in her own right.
Dr. Shelby, from Coffee County, is a professor emeritus at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. She was the first tenured female professor. She also held visiting professor positions at the University of Pittsburgh and the Helsinki School of Economics. Additionally, she directed programs at Oxford University.
Dr. Shelby held a B.A. and M.A. in Speech from the University of Alabama and a Ph.D. in Speech from Louisiana State University.
Dr. Shelby received the Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education and the Ronald L. Smith Distinguished Service Award from Georgetown University. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is a fellow of the Association for Business Communication.
She has been involved in public service, advocating for STEM education in Alabama. She was appointed to the advisory committee for the Kennedy Center.
Dr. Shelby and her husband, Richard, are the namesakes of Shelby Hall at the University of South Alabama.
The Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership at the University of Alabama also benefits from her contributions.
Dr. Shelby and her husband lived in Tuscaloosa.
Sen. Shelby’s successor in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery), posted a tribute Thursday.
"It is with a heavy heart that today Wesley and I mark the death of a true Alabama trailblazer, Dr. Annette Nevin Shelby," Britt stated. "From her roots in rural Coffee County, a place I am also proud to call home, to breaking barriers as the first woman to become a tenured professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Dr. Shelby’s brilliance, grit, and determination showed in everything she accomplished. She forever changed the lives of countless students. I’m fortunate to count myself as one of those who she mentored and encouraged throughout her long career – Dr. Shelby’s faith and confidence in another young woman from the Wiregrass changed what was possible for my life. In large part, Richard Shelby was able to stand on the mountaintop as Alabama’s greatest statesman because he was married to Annette Nevin Shelby. Her passion for higher education, incredible intellect, and immense influence was evident when Senator Shelby invested millions to elevate research and opportunities at Alabama’s colleges and universities. Our prayers are with Senator Shelby; his two sons, Richard Jr. and Claude; daughter-in-law, Lisa; two beloved grandchildren, Anna and William; and the countless others who join us in mourning the loss of this incredible woman.”
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) said his thoughts and prayers were with the Shelby family at this time.
“Anyone who knows Dr. Annette Shelby knows that she played a crucial role in Sen. Shelby’s success, yet was also incredibly accomplished in her own right. Suzanne and I send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the entire Shelby Family now and in the difficult days ahead,” Tuberville said in a release.
Arrangements will be announced.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama -- her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
