Posted by Sean Flynt on 2007-08-06

Retired Samford School of the Arts professor Betty Sue Shepherd died on Thursday, Aug. 2.

Shepherd taught piano at Samford for fifty years and retired in 2007. She received the university's George Macon Memorial Award award in 2004 in recognition of her dedication to teaching. She was named Teacher of the Year by the Alabama Music Teachers Association in 2001.

Shepherd's students have had recurring success in regional and national competitions and in admission to graduate school.

A concert pianist who was organist at Vestavia Hills Baptist Church for more than 35 years, Shepherd was also the author of two publications of hymn arrangements, By Request: Favorite Hymns for Organ and Sacred Concert Stylings, for piano.

Memorials can be made to the Vestavia Hills Baptist Church or to the Miller-Shepherd Scholarship Fund at Samford University. Flowers will also be accepted.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.