James Harold Shepherd Jr

James Harold Shepherd, Jr. died surrounded by his family, Saturday, December 21st at age 68. A third generation Atlantan, he was the son of Alana Smith Shepherd and James Harold Shepherd, Sr. He was predeceased by his beloved twin sister, Dana and his father, James Harold Shepherd, Sr.

James H. Shepherd, Jr., was the chief of staff, a co-founder of Shepherd Center and chairman of the Board of Directors. He co-founded Shepherd Center in 1975 with his parents, Alana Shepherd and the late Harold Shepherd, and David Apple, M.D., the hospital’s first medical director.

James and the co-founders built a facility that has garnered international recognition for the treatment of spinal cord injury, brain injury and multiple sclerosis. Also, Shepherd Center has become a nationally recognized advocate for people with disabilities.

A native of Atlanta, James graduated from the Westminster Schools and then received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia in 1973, where he was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity. In 1973, James suffered a near-fatal bodysurfing accident in Brazil. After six months of intensive rehabilitation in Denver, Colorado, James regained the ability to walk with a cane and leg brace. When the Shepherd family returned home to Atlanta, they were frustrated with the lack of rehabilitation center options in the Southeast. With his parents’ enthusiastic support, James and his family founded Shepherd Center in 1975 as a six-bed unit, and almost immediately, there was a waiting list.

Throughout Shepherd Center’s history, James worked to improve accessibility and opportunity for people with disabilities. He regularly communicated with community leaders, legislators and the news media to increase public awareness. As he toured groups through Shepherd Center and spoke to community organizations, he made advocates and donors of the many people he reached.

On both the state and national level, James made a tremendous commitment and contribution to providing exceptional healthcare for people with spinal cord and/or brain injuries. He exemplified how dedication and determination can bring change to society. His contributions were recognized with numerous awards, including a national award for distinguished public service from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and an honorary doctorate from the University of Georgia – both of which also recognized his parents’ contributions. In 2017, the Delta Air Lines Advisory Board on Disability chose James and his parents as the recipients of Delta’s Jay & Hagar Award for servant leadership. In summer 2019, James and Alana were both honored with lifetime achievement awards as part of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Most Admired CEO Awards.

James actively served on numerous boards and committees to further the education and research to benefit people with disabilities. He served as director of the National Rehabilitation Awareness Foundation, on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Rehabilitation Technology, the Governor’s Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Trust Fund Authority and as a board member of Initiative 2000 (a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act). James also served on the Steering Committee for the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, which led the Interfaith Conference on Disability Awareness. He was an active volunteer in the community, having volunteered on the accessibility advisory committees of MARTA, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome. He was a determined member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta as well as the Buckhead Coalition that sought to better the Atlanta community each day.

Among his many awards, James received the National Rehabilitation Awareness Foundation’s John Heinz Memorial Award, The U.S. Jaycees “Ten Outstanding Young Men” in America, and the Brain Injury Association of Georgia’s Big Thinker Award. James was recognized by the Georgia Hospital Association with the Hospital Heroes award and is a recipient of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, Distinguished Alumnus Award. James, along with his parents, Alana and Harold Shepherd were awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees in December 2011 by the University of Georgia, in conjunction with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, in recognition of their contributions to healthcare and the state of Georgia. In addition, James was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Westminster Schools.

James devoted his life to ensuring Shepherd Center’s clinical teams could take the so-called impossible cases and help people put their lives back together. James often said that Shepherd Center was the bridge between “I can’t” and “I can.” Thanks to him, thousands of patients and families found a pathway to independence, hope and dignity. James was committed to doing everything in his power to rebuild the lives of the people at Shepherd Center. There wasn’t a day that went by that you could not feel and see his influence.

A lifelong Georgia Bulldawgs fan, James loved to watch a good competitive game of college football. He loved when his favorite team would walk the halls of Shepherd Center to spread cheer and inspiration to all of the patients, families and staff.

James also held a deep appreciation for a good laugh. He recognized the importance of laughter in the healing process. Who else would choose to begin the fiscal year on April 1st? His April Fools pranks are the stuff of legend. And together with the other founders, he established a culture like no other. He saw to it that Shepherd is a place where people look you in the eye, greet you by name and share a kind word or laugh. Most of all, he made certain that we remained focused on the patient and family.

Upon every admittance, James took it upon himself to speak to each patient. Sharing that though their lives had changed, that life will still be filled with meaning and promise. Because James chose to leverage every day to restore hope to those in need, Shepherd Center is that place of hope to all.

James’ love of Shepherd Center is only surpassed by his devotion and love of his family and friends. He was incredibly proud Jamie and Julie chose to join him in serving the patients and families. And oh, how he would rave about those grandchildren! He especially enjoyed sharing his and his late twin sister Dana’s birthday with the “Shep-lets” – his grand triplets!

To some, he was the teasing brother, to others he was the compassionate father and to all he was the kind friend. And while our hearts are breaking, together we will honor his legacy by ensuring the “I cans” outnumber the “I can’ts” because stories don’t end at Shepherd, they continue and so must we.

Survivors include his mother, Alana Smith Shepherd, his brother, Thomas C. Shepherd; his children Julie Shepherd and James H. Shepherd III (Sarah). He is also survived by four grandchildren, James Harold Shepherd IV, Josephine Shepherd, Virginia Shepherd, and Annie Shepherd and his nephew, Thomas C. Shepherd, Jr as well as many cousins.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30pm on Monday, January 6th at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, 3434 Roswell Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305 officiated by Dr. Richard Kannwischer and Dr. George B. Wirth with a reception following in Fellowship Hall. The family requests no food or flowers. In lieu of flowers or food, a gift to Shepherd Center Foundation 2020 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30309 would make his heart sing.