During his time on the Hill, Jimmy Kellam ‘56 was known for his tennis stroke and snappy dressing style. From MBA he went to Vanderbilt and then Northwestern for graduate school before beginning a successful banking career in Nashville. Jimmy was active in the Nashville community, serving at St. George’s Episcopal Church and other community and civic organizations. A thread that ran throughout Jimmy’s life was his love for the MBA community. A loyal member of the MBA alumni association, Jimmy rarely missed a Friday night football game, the P. Hale golf tournament, or a time to fellowship with his classmates.
On one memorable afternoon, Jimmy visited campus with his classmate, Buddy Rackard. As the two men walked through Ball Hall, they passed the class of 1916 composite, in which Jimmy’s father was pictured. Jimmy’s father enrolled at MBA on a financial aid scholarship and traveled from Cheatham County each day. Jimmy paused at the composite and gazed at his father’s face, remembering the influence MBA had on both his father’s life and his own. As Buddy noted recently, “MBA held a special place in Jimmy’s heart,” and clearly, the values of his time on the Hill left a lasting impression. After that visit Jimmy made the decision to put MBA in his estate plans.
In December 2014, Jimmy passed away and his will left a $1.5 million bequest to MBA to establish the Kellam/Somerville scholarship. Named in honor of Jimmy’s parents, this endowed fund will provide need-based scholarships through the endowed named scholar program. His gift ensures that young men, regardless of their financial means, will have the opportunity to attend MBA. Without a son to send to MBA, Jimmy believed that the scholarship would be a way to carry forward the Kellam MBA legacy and to honor the gift his family had received through first his father’s education and then his own. Jimmy’s family and classmates remember him as the epitome of a Southern gentleman with unfailing kindness, graciousness, and generosity.
His gift is an example of his generous spirit, and future generations of students will have Jimmy Kellam to thank for their MBA education.
