JAMES ROBERT (BOB) SHIRLEY EDUCATIONALIST, AUTHOR, TEACHER, RACONTEUR, FRIEND TO MANY.
I was born on July 28, 1935 in Greenville, South Carolina, and lived there until I left for the Marine Corps in September of 1958. I graduated from Greenville Senior High School, attended The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee for two years and finished at Furman University, with a BA in English.
I then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and joined Officer Candidate Corps in the fall of 1958. I was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in December and then served for two years at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Following my discharge, I served for four years in the reserves in Winston-Salem, N.C. In January of 1962 I began the management training program at Wachovia Bank and Trust Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after which I served as a branch manager in Winston.
In July of 1965, I left the bank to become an English teacher and assistant to the headmaster of Summit School in Winston. At various times I taught Junior High English and Social Studies, acted as business manager, was assistant head, acting head, and became associate head. I earned a master’s degree in English at Wake Forest while at Summit.
In the summer of 1978, I was named head of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, South Carolina where I served until June of 2000. I earned a PhD in Education Administration at the University of South Carolina in 1990. Following my retirement at Heathwood, I became a consultant and interim head for the next 20 years, serving at Gaston Day School, Brimmer and May, The Columbia Museum of Art, Charleston Collegiate School, and the Woodlawn School in Davidson, North Carolina.
