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November 10, 2005
Thoughts on Jack Massey
Last week the Jack C. Massey Legacy Event was held. This event honored Mr. Massey, his legacy of giving to Belmont and his family’s continued generosity towards this university. As a graduate student, we all watch the Massey video during our orientation. Most of us, however, do not know a great deal about Mr. Massey or what he’s done for our program. I felt it was important for us as students and alumni to know a little more about who we are and where we came from as Massey students. I spent time over the last two weeks interviewing people who knew Mr. Massey. I would like to share with you some impressions of this great man.
Mr. Massey was not only generous financially, but with his time as well. Many people I spoke with said that he had served as their mentor. Clayton McWhorter spoke at the legacy event about being mentored by Mr. Massey and how this mentorship continues to influence him personally and professionally. Interestingly, Dave Thomas, of Wendy’s, was mentored by Mr. Massey. Mr. Thomas was a hard worker at Kentucky Fried Chicken who caught Mr. Massey’s attention. According to one account, Mr. Massey taught Mr. Thomas that he should wear black socks to work rather than white socks. People said that Mr. Massey had the ability to talk to anyone of any age. No doubt, this skill enhanced his mentoring abilities.
The following are a few interesting tidbits about Mr. Massey shared with me by friends and colleagues that knew him well.
Mr. Brad Reed, Massey Advisory Board Member and former attorney to Mr. Massey, shared that Mr. Massey wanted ethics to be a formal part of the business curriculum. Massey felt that students should have the tools to use ethics as a “natural screen” in their decision-making process. Though Mr. Massey recognized that no one is perfect, he wanted Massey graduates to know the “right” thing to do.
Mr. Clarence Edmonds was hired by Mr. Massey to “take care of (his) stuff.” Mr. Edmonds knew Massey as a hard worker who helped others and believed in honesty and integrity. Mr. Edmonds felt that he “was blessed to have known (Mr. Massey) and fortunate to have worked with him.”
According to Dr. Bill Troutt, former Belmont President, Mr. Massey believed in an ideal of excellence in everything. He was focused on expectations: mediocrity was unacceptable. He held deep beliefs about how to conduct yourself. Character and values were Mr. Massey’s bedrock.
Mr. Bill Shipp worked in Mr. Massey’s “family office.” He currently serves as treasurer of the Massey Foundation. He viewed Mr. Massey as down-to-earth. Mr. Massey was a major influence on the Nashville business community and beyond. Mr. Shipp says that people don’t realize how many lives and companies were touched by Mr. Massey. Shipp believed Massey was an excellent judge of people who looked closely at both the entrepreneur and the idea before backing a company.
I was curious why Mr. Massey chose to support Belmont. Mr. Massey was a member of the Belmont Heights Baptist Church and was very active in his congregation. Through this activism, he came to know Dr. Herbert Gabhart. Dr. Gabhart served as Belmont’s president for 23 years and chancellor for 22 years. Dr. Gabhart convinced Mr. Massey that Belmont was a place where his money would make a difference. Over the years, Mr. Massey and Dr. Gabhart became close friends. Massey’s relationship with Belmont continued to be nurtured by Dr. Bill Troutt who served as the university’s president from 1982-1999.
Massey was a generous man who believed in the importance of giving back. In addition to Belmont, Mr. Massey has supported Harpeth Hall, Montgomery Bell Academy, Cheekwood, and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), amongst others. Mr. Massey began in the 1960s with small gifts to what was then Belmont College. Belmont University was an institution that he loved. Belmont is Mr. Massey’s primary beneficiary, with no close second.
As Dr. Lambert points out in his article, one need only glance around Belmont’s campus to see Mr. Massey’s generosity. Mr. Massey’s legacy of giving has been continued through many generous gifts. Clayton McWhorter shared that Mr. Massey told him to “Get down there and help” at Belmont. He has been helping ever since. The trading room in the Massey Business Center is a product of Mr. McWhorter and his son, Stuart’s, help. Mr. Massey’s daughter, Barbara Massey Rogers, has continued her father’s tradition. It was announced at the Massey Legacy Event that Mrs. Rogers has endowed the operation of the trading room in perpetuity with a $1 million gift.
As Massey students, we are all fortunate to benefit from the generosity started by Mr. Jack C. Massey.
Jennifer Culligan
Graduate Assistant
I would like to thank Mr. Bill Shipp, Mr. Brad Reed, Mr. Clarence Edmonds, and Dr. Bill Troutt for contributing to this article. Additional information was taken from Dr. Herbert Gabhart’s book, The Massey-Belmont Story.
Belmont Honors Business Legend Jack C. Massey
Belmont University honored legendary Nashville businessman Jack C. Massey Tues., November 1, with a special gathering in conjunction with the release of his biography, Master of the Big Board: The Life, Times and Business of Jack Massey. At a special event in the Maddox Grand Atrium celebrating Massey's legacy as a business man and philanthropist, Massey biographer Bill Carey spoke of Massey as both kind-hearted and "tough as nails," while Nashville businessman Clayton McWhorter described Massey as a business mentor who urged McWhorter years ago to get involved with what was then known as Belmont College. "He said, 'Get down there an help those people'," McWhorter recalled. "I've been down here helping out ever since. I'm afraid to stop!"
Continue reading "Belmont Honors Business Legend Jack C. Massey"
Pictures from Massey Event
The following are pictures from the event honoring Jack C. Massey which took place November 1.
Clayton McWhorter addresses crowd of attendees.
Stuart McWhorter, Clayton McWhorter, Dean Pat Raines
Dean Pat Raines, President Bob Fischer, Barbara Massey Rogers, Clayton McWhorter, Stuart McWhorter
Dr. Norma Gabhart, Dr. Herbert Gabhart, Barbara Massey Rogers, Doyle Rogers
Dr. Joe Massey, Dr. Bill Camp, Clayton McWhorter
Doyle Rogers, Keith Phillips
Natalie Ruggerio, Stuart Brown, Lewis Moore
Dean Raines addresses crowd
Bill Carey, author of Master of the Big Board, addresses audience
Dean Raines reveals Massey plaque for the Massey Business Center
November’s Networking @ Noon Event
Please note this month’s event will be held on the third Thursday of the month because of Thanksgiving. A guest professor will be attending.
We hope to see you Thursday, November 17th (A week before Thanksgiving) at Blackstone Brewery on West End at 11:30. Reservations will be under James Sherer.
Please RSVP to James - jameswshererjr@gmail.com. James can also be reached at 337-1791.
October's Networking @ Noon Event:
October’s Networking @ Noon event was held October 27th at the South Street Original Crab Shack & Authentic Dive Bar. Guest Professor Dr. Susan Taylor attended. The lunch was a great success. We hope to see you at November's event.
Seated from left to right: Jonathan Riggs, Elizabeth Lucas Wilson, Rajman Pater, Dr. Susan Taylor, David Wilson, Mora Moran, Stacey Hardison, Michael Deane.
Tribute to Mr. Massey
To the Readers:
Having spent the better part of twenty-nine years as a faculty member in the College of Business, not a day goes by that I don’t think of the generosity of Mr. Jack C. Massey.
From the time I enter the lobby of the Massey Business Center each morning and walk to the elevator, glancing in at the Massey Museum and gazing at the bust of Mr. Massey, I am eternally grateful that Belmont University was fortunate enough to have someone like Mr. Massey who cared enough about private education to give of his time and money. The reminders don’t stop in the Massey Center. One only needs to stroll across the campus and find building after building with Mr. Massey’s handprint…Massey Performing Arts Center, Hitch Science Building, Wheeler Humanities, and the Lila Bunch Library. All of these are buildings that at one time Mr. Jack Massey helped build.
Mr. Massey has been called “a living legend in the history of American Business.” He was indeed a genius and a visionary.
My remembrance of Mr. Massey is that he never expected of others what he would not expect of himself. His life exemplified these virtues, truly giving of himself to this university, taking it from a small private liberal arts college to a nationally-ranked university. Mr. Massey is looking down from heaven with a huge smile on his face and a heart bursting with pride knowing that the program has achieved AACSB accreditation. It was his dream that we develop an outstanding College of Business.
I am eternally grateful for Mr. Jack C. Massey and all that he has meant to this university and the College of Business.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Lambert
Professor of Marketing
Massey Matters
I am happy to announce that for the first month ever, I received unsolicited announcements/updates from alumni! This is wonderful! Please remember to send any updates (on yourself or your friends!) to masseygrad@mail.belmont.edu. Congratulations to our newest parents, job changers and promotees! -Jennifer Culligan
Gary LaRoy (MBA ’94) has recently joined A3 Marketing as Vice President of Institutional Marketing.
Rachel Brown (MBA ’02) moved from Cigna to American Healthways and is now a Financial Operations Analyst as a part of the Medicare Health support team.
Bryan Long (MBA ’03) and his wife Lori welcomed Leighton Thomas August 22nd. He was born 2lbs 10oz at Centennial Hospital. Leighton went home the week of October 17th. Bryan also has a new job. He is now City Group Manager with the US Commercial Division Group of Kelly Services in East Tennessee.
Althea Reid (MBA ’04) relocated with Tennessee Valley Authority to Chattanooga, TN and was promoted to Recruiting Program Manager for TVA.
Jared Monger (current MACC) was hired by Deloitte as an auditor. He will start in September.
Scott Cochran (current MBA) and his wife Ryan welcomed Daniel Jacob on October 10th. Daniel weighed in at 9lbs and was 21 inches long.
Levar Love (current MBA) has been promoted to District Safety Manager/ Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager (EH&S) with Home Depot. He is now responsible for the core safety programs in 22 stores. The stores are located in the Nashville and Memphis markets. Levar says he’s loving every minute of it!
Current Student Spotlight
Name: Andy Jones
Employer: Deloitte (Hermitage Practice Center)
Position: Intern / Senior Coordinator International Accounting
Contact Info: 615-882-7065 work; andjones@deloitte.com
What did you do before you came to the Massey School?
I graduated with a finance degree from the University of Kentucky in 1992. My first brush with accounting came while working in my hometown of Glasgow, Kentucky, when I met a cute, young accountant as she was performing an audit on our company for Deloitte. We started dating and soon were married and I relocated to Nashville. Meredith left client service and moved into the position of HR Manager for Deloitte. I guess I probably have some first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of a Big 4 firm, and yet I still wanted to enter the profession. I recently went through the Summer Accounting Institute and plan to finish the MACC program next August. I am thrilled to say I will be working as an auditor with Ernst and Young in September.
What is unique about your current job? Will this change after you earn your degree? If so, how?
Nashville is very fortunate to have three of the Big 4 firms in town. Deloitte also has its practice service center in Hermitage where its Operating System and Technology Group performs a variety of functions for the firm such as firm payroll and taxes, financial reporting, IT, and also manages the firm’s call center. I work in the International Accounting Department that provides support to the Deloitte & Touche, Deloitte Consulting, and Deloitte & Touche Tohmatsu member firms. It is very unique to work on a daily basis with Deloitte professionals from South America, Africa and the Middle East, as well as from various U.S. member offices. My duties will change dramatically as an auditor with Ernst. I will be working in client service as an external auditor rather than in an internal function as I do now.
Complete this phrase, “I’d rather retake Dr. Smolira’s finance class than…”
Take another class on Entrepreneurship. I guess it is the future “Bean Counter” in me that has a hard time focusing on a class that says repeatedly that numbers don’t matter.
What quote guides your life?
Proverbs 3:5-7: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
Alumni Spotlight
Cate Loes, is currently Adjunct Instructor of Marketing at Belmont. She graduated with an MBA from Massey in December 2003. She was co-founder of the Massey Graduate Council and is currently President-Elect of the Massey Alumni Board. A native of Minnesota she has been Nashville for 12 years and has been married to Eric Loes for 7 years. They have three children, Julia 6, Maggie 3 ½ and Jack 16 months.
What was going on in your career that would compel you to seek an MBA?
I had always known I wanted to go back to school to get a graduate degree, but thought I would return for an MA is Speech. The farther away from my undergraduate degree I got, my thoughts of getting a MA changed to thoughts of earning a MBA. I realized that a business degree combined with my work experience would allow for greater opportunities. I was fortunate to have a very supportive and encouraging boss and husband and took advantage of the timing.
What originally brought you to The Massey School from all the other programs available in the area?
More than any other determining factor, flexibility was a primary consideration. I had a one-year old, was working, and was a busy community volunteer. I needed a program that understood that I had other obligations. Massey also has a strong reputation in the community with both business professionals and students and because of that; there were few other programs I considered.
Where in your career have you found the value in your Massey MBA?
I find value in my Massey MBA in so many facets of my life. The negotiation skills I learned I have used in both personal and professional situations, my knowledge of marketing I have used to help local non-profits market new programs and raise funds, and the combination of many of the skills I gained have allowed me to secure consulting projects. Finally, I would not be teaching full-time at Belmont without my Massey MBA. It is because of the skills I gained while a student and the contacts I have made through Massey that have been instrumental in forming my current and future career path.
Is there a particular memory you have about The Massey School that really sticks with you that you would like to share?
Instead of one distinct memory, I find myself reflecting on three in particular events: the first was orientation. I recall as I sat and listened to students and alumni talk about their great experiences and wondered what I would encounter during my time at Massey and if I would make it through! The second was about mid-way through my program when I realized I was ½ way done! I realized that the time had gone by so quickly; I had learned a great deal and made some great friends. Lastly, I recall my final class. The anti-climatic ending to a long journey and the task that appeared insurmountable at times was over. I realized how much I had grown throughout the program and how the path I was thought I would take looked much different.
Please fill in the blank: I would rather take Finance again than ________ at The Massey School ever again.
Search for a place to park at Belmont.
Do you have any words of wisdom for current Massey School students?
Be engaged! Get Involved! And meet as many people as you can. There is no greater tool than the network that is available to Massey students!
Final Career Development Seminar of the Year
“Top Search Techniques” – presented by Lacy Nelson, Russell, Montgomery & Associates
Tuesday, November 15th
5:15 – 6:15 Massey Boardroom
Lacy has over 18 years of recruiting, career counseling and outplacement experience. She also has over fifteen years recruiting experience. Ms. Nelson graduated with a B.A. degree from Tulane University and has an M.Ed. degree from Vanderbilt University in Human Resource Development and Human Development Counseling. Recently, Lacy earned her certification as a Career Management Practitioner and completed the Foundational Course in Life Coach Training.
Light refreshments will be served. Please email careerdev@mail.belmont.edu if you plan to attend.