Jim Shope

Jim Shope was born and raised in Macon County; he still resides and works there. His boyhood years were spent living “on Skeenah Creek.” In the late 1940’s the family did move closer-in to Blossomtown, but his roots remained and will always remain on Skeenah Creek.

Jim and his wife Nancy, to whom this book is dedicated, are both natives of the county. Nancy is a retired public school teacher, and Jim continues to work. They live in the Holly Springs Community with their three cats and two dogs. They are both members of and attend the First United Methodist Church in Franklin.

Jim is a graduate of the Tennessee Military Institute (1962), Young Harris College (1966), Piedmont College (1967), and Southwestern Community College (1975). He served in Vietnam with the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division during that conflict. After his return from overseas in 1969 he served the remainder of his military obligation with the 210th MP Company of the North Carolina National Guard. Jim has previously worked as a land surveyor, a real estate appraiser, the County Tax Assessor, Tax Collector and as an instructor at Southwestern Community College. He is currently the Collateral/Construction Manager at a local bank.