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Created page with "{{Infobox Officeholder | name=Edwin Taylor "Eddy" Shell |office=Bossier Parish Police Jury for District 12 |term_start=1992 |term_end=May 2, 2008 |succeeded=Pau..."
{{Infobox Officeholder
| name=Edwin Taylor "Eddy" Shell
|office=Bossier Parish Police Jury for District 12
|term_start=1992
|term_end=May 2, 2008
|succeeded=Paul McMillian "Mac" Plummer
| birth_date=April 6, 1937
| birth_place = [[Lubbock]], [[Texas]], [[United States|USA]]
| death_date=May 2, 2008 (aged 71)
| death_place = [[Bossier City]], [[Louisiana]]
|spouse= (1) Missing (divorced)<br>
(2) Barbara Schneider Shell
|children= Two children from first marriage:<br/>
Sally S. Shell<br/>
Ted Shell<br/>
Granddaughter Callie Shell
|occupation=Speech [[professor]]; [[Photographer]]
|party= [[Republican Party|Republican]]
|religion=Assembly of God<br>
Former [[Mormon]]}}
'''Edwin Taylor Shell''', known as '''Eddy Shell''' (April 6, 1937 – May 2, 2008), was a prominent [[educator]] and [[politician]] in Bossier Parish in northwestern [[Louisiana]]. In 1967, he was among the original five full-time faculty members to launch Bossier Parish Community College in [[Bossier City]]. The institution was then known as Airline Junior College. Shell taught [[speech]] there for a full four decades.<ref name="ark">{{cite web|url=http://www.arklatexstudentnews.com/ |title=Ark La Tex Student News |accessdate=2008-05-12 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509085454/http://www.arklatexstudentnews.com/ |archivedate=2008-05-09 |df= }}</ref> In 1991, he was elected as one of the first [[Republican Party|Republican]]s ever to serve on the Bossier Parish Police Jury (equivalent of county commissioner in other states).
==Background==
Shell was born in [[Lubbock]], [[Texas]] to Freeman E. Shell, Sr. (August 20, 1906 – November 24, 1994), and the former Reba Odell Taylor (March 29, 1915 – January 29, 2003).<ref name="root">{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=RootsWeb Search| accessdate= 2008-05-17}}</ref> Mrs. Shell was originally from Hamburg]] in Ashley County in southeastern [[Arkansas]]. The Shells moved from Lubbock to Springdale in Washington County, Arkansas, and then Benton County in far northwestern Arkansas. Eddy was the youngest [[Eagle Scout]] in the state.<ref name="pass" /> He graduated in 1955 from [[Springdale High School]],<ref name="pass">
"Bossier Police Juror dies from cancer", ''Northwest Louisiana News,'' May 5, 2008</ref> where one of his classmates was Carolyn Pollan, subsequently the longest-serving Republican and the longest-serving woman in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
In 1960, Shell received his bachelor's degree and teaching credentials from [[Louisiana Tech University]] in [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]]. He was a teacher and [[debate]] coach at Bossier High School for seven years until he joined Bossier Parish Community College. He procured graduate credentials from Louisiana Tech, [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]], and California Miramar University in [[San Diego]], then known as "Pacific Western University".<ref name="obit">{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/shreveporttimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=SearchResults|title=Obituaries and Guest Books for 5/17/2008| date=2008-05-17| publisher=''[[The Times (Shreveport)|The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=May 17, 2008}}</ref>
==Community service==
Shell was first elected to the police jury in a runoff election with his fellow Republican, Fay Rawls, 1,215 votes (52.6 percent) to 1,093 ballots (47.4 percent). The third candidate, eliminated in the nonpartisan blanket primary, was future Bossier City [[Mayor]] Lorenz "Lo" Walker, then running as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11161991/11161991_08.html
|title=Official Bossier Parish Election Results|date=November 16, 1991|publisher=State of Louisiana| accessdate=January 30, 2015}}</ref> He was unopposed in the subsequent elections of 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 from his District 12 seat in south Bossier Parish. ''Bossier Press-Tribune'' editor and publisher David A. Specht, Jr., recalls how considerate Shell was to reporters at police jury meetings. He made sure that the reporters had documentation to assist them in writing their stories. He was available for background sessions and often recommended that reporters focus on items that he considered the most important. Specht said that he was still shocked to learn of Shell's death because, even as a [[cancer]] patient, Shell had fought bravely against all adversity.<ref>David A. Specht, Jr., "Goodbye Dr. Shell", ''Bossier Press-Tribune'', May 7, 2008.</ref> On Shell's death, the police jury appointed Republican Paul McMillian "Mac" Plummer (born April 1956) of Bossier City to serve until the October 4 special election for the remainder of Shell's last term, which had begun on January 16, 2008.
Shell was "Educator of the Year" in Bossier Parish in 1970 and 1995 and "Mr. Bossier Parish" in 1970. He was a member of the Louisiana National Guard and served in the reserve components of the [[United States Army]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and the [[United States Marine Corps]]. He was the founder of the first day-time truancy center in Louisiana; by 2008, there were twelve such facilities. Shell was also a professional [[photographer]], often handling [[wedding]]s, and served as president of the trade association, the Professional Photographers of Louisiana from 1980 to 1981. He was a member of the Masonic lodge.<ref name="obit" />
==The break with Mormonism==
Shell was a member of the Broadmoor Assembly of God Church, but he and his second wife, the former Barbara Schneider (born November 1948), were [[Mormons]] from 1994 to 2002. He publicly broke with Mormonism and posted a statement on the [[Internet]] to that effect. Shell said that he conducted a study of the religion and determined the ''Book of Mormon'' to be [[fiction]]al. He particular rejected the Mormon concept of [[eternal progression]]: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/02/i-have-a-question?lang=eng |title= I Have a Question: Is President Lorenzo Snow's oft-repeated statement — "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be" — accepted as official doctrine by the Church? |first= Gerald N. |last= Lund |authorlink= Gerald N. Lund |date=February 1982 |journal= ''Ensign'' (Latter Day Saints magazine}}</ref> Shell encapsulated his testimony, accordingly, in second person:
"You must know [[Jesus Christ]] as your personal Savior. You must allow Him to enter into your heart. He must be a part of your life at work, home, and play. You can have a personal relationship with the living God through [[Jesus Christ]], and the assurance of eternal life, through prayer to the real God of [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], and [[Jacob]]. You will have daily the grace of love beyond expectations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mazeministry.com/mormonism/testimonies/eddy.htm|title=Edwin T. Shell Testimony|publisher=mazeministry.com|date=November 26, 2003|accessdate=April 13, 2015}}</ref>
==Death and legacy==
Shell died after a nearly two-year struggle with spiral sarcoma, a cancer which he once described as "four tumors wrapped around each other, encapsulated."<ref name="rucker">Janelle Rucker, "Police Juror, teacher still smiling after cancer fight", The Shreveport Times'', April 13, 2007.</ref> Despite the difficulties of [[surgery|surgeries]], [[radiation]], and [[chemotherapy]], Shell continued teaching, having missed no more than a week of instruction, and he still served on the police jury. He used his personal struggle with cancer as a lesson to his students and others to whom he came in contact.<ref name="stimes">"Bossier police juror remembered for smiles, stories", ''The Shreveport Times'', May 6, 2008.</ref> "I was trying to show my knuckle-headed students that cancer doesn't mean death," he said in 2007.<ref name="rucker"/> In the classroom, Shell was known for his enthusiasm and theatrics, sometimes getting atop his desk to make a particular point.<ref>Edwin T. Shell Guest Book (no longer on-line)</ref> Shortly after the funeral, Shell was honored in the commencement ceremonies at BPCC.<ref>"Eddy Shell given his final salutes", ''The Shreveport Times'', May 8, 2008.</ref>
In addition to wife Barbara, originally from Landau, [[Germany]], Shell was survived by a daughter, Sally S. Shell (born c. 1963), a teacher in [[Colorado]]; son Ted Shell (born c. 1966), a [[nurse]] in [[Tacoma]], [[Washington]], and granddaughter Callie Shell of College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[Texas]]; his siblings, Mally S. Hatch and Freeman E. Shell, Jr., both of Decatur, [[Alabama]], and Sally Elizabeth Shell Whitehead of Jacksonville, Arkansas; three step-children, and four step-grandchildren.<ref name="obit"/>
Kelly McDade, a BPCC instructor, said that the institution has its "work cut out for us to meet Dr. Shell's challenge of embodying the best there is in humanity. I learned from Dr. Shell that every day is an opportunity to embrace life with gusto and that to share knowledge and understanding with everyone I meet is an honor."<ref name="stimes"/>
Then BPCC Chancellor Tom Carleton, who delivered the eulogy at Shell's funeral, recalls that when Freeman Shell taught his son how to drive a car, he taught using the reverse gear first. "That's how [Eddy Shell] approached all of life's problems, taking the hardest first."<ref name="stimes"/>
Shell is interred with military honors at Hill Crest Memorial Park east of Bossier City.<ref name="obit"/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shell, Eddy}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:Educators]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Eagle Scouts]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps]]
[[Category:United States Army]]
[[Category:United States Navy]]
| name=Edwin Taylor "Eddy" Shell
|office=Bossier Parish Police Jury for District 12
|term_start=1992
|term_end=May 2, 2008
|succeeded=Paul McMillian "Mac" Plummer
| birth_date=April 6, 1937
| birth_place = [[Lubbock]], [[Texas]], [[United States|USA]]
| death_date=May 2, 2008 (aged 71)
| death_place = [[Bossier City]], [[Louisiana]]
|spouse= (1) Missing (divorced)<br>
(2) Barbara Schneider Shell
|children= Two children from first marriage:<br/>
Sally S. Shell<br/>
Ted Shell<br/>
Granddaughter Callie Shell
|occupation=Speech [[professor]]; [[Photographer]]
|party= [[Republican Party|Republican]]
|religion=Assembly of God<br>
Former [[Mormon]]}}
'''Edwin Taylor Shell''', known as '''Eddy Shell''' (April 6, 1937 – May 2, 2008), was a prominent [[educator]] and [[politician]] in Bossier Parish in northwestern [[Louisiana]]. In 1967, he was among the original five full-time faculty members to launch Bossier Parish Community College in [[Bossier City]]. The institution was then known as Airline Junior College. Shell taught [[speech]] there for a full four decades.<ref name="ark">{{cite web|url=http://www.arklatexstudentnews.com/ |title=Ark La Tex Student News |accessdate=2008-05-12 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509085454/http://www.arklatexstudentnews.com/ |archivedate=2008-05-09 |df= }}</ref> In 1991, he was elected as one of the first [[Republican Party|Republican]]s ever to serve on the Bossier Parish Police Jury (equivalent of county commissioner in other states).
==Background==
Shell was born in [[Lubbock]], [[Texas]] to Freeman E. Shell, Sr. (August 20, 1906 – November 24, 1994), and the former Reba Odell Taylor (March 29, 1915 – January 29, 2003).<ref name="root">{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=RootsWeb Search| accessdate= 2008-05-17}}</ref> Mrs. Shell was originally from Hamburg]] in Ashley County in southeastern [[Arkansas]]. The Shells moved from Lubbock to Springdale in Washington County, Arkansas, and then Benton County in far northwestern Arkansas. Eddy was the youngest [[Eagle Scout]] in the state.<ref name="pass" /> He graduated in 1955 from [[Springdale High School]],<ref name="pass">
"Bossier Police Juror dies from cancer", ''Northwest Louisiana News,'' May 5, 2008</ref> where one of his classmates was Carolyn Pollan, subsequently the longest-serving Republican and the longest-serving woman in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
In 1960, Shell received his bachelor's degree and teaching credentials from [[Louisiana Tech University]] in [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]]. He was a teacher and [[debate]] coach at Bossier High School for seven years until he joined Bossier Parish Community College. He procured graduate credentials from Louisiana Tech, [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]], and California Miramar University in [[San Diego]], then known as "Pacific Western University".<ref name="obit">{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/shreveporttimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=SearchResults|title=Obituaries and Guest Books for 5/17/2008| date=2008-05-17| publisher=''[[The Times (Shreveport)|The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=May 17, 2008}}</ref>
==Community service==
Shell was first elected to the police jury in a runoff election with his fellow Republican, Fay Rawls, 1,215 votes (52.6 percent) to 1,093 ballots (47.4 percent). The third candidate, eliminated in the nonpartisan blanket primary, was future Bossier City [[Mayor]] Lorenz "Lo" Walker, then running as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11161991/11161991_08.html
|title=Official Bossier Parish Election Results|date=November 16, 1991|publisher=State of Louisiana| accessdate=January 30, 2015}}</ref> He was unopposed in the subsequent elections of 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 from his District 12 seat in south Bossier Parish. ''Bossier Press-Tribune'' editor and publisher David A. Specht, Jr., recalls how considerate Shell was to reporters at police jury meetings. He made sure that the reporters had documentation to assist them in writing their stories. He was available for background sessions and often recommended that reporters focus on items that he considered the most important. Specht said that he was still shocked to learn of Shell's death because, even as a [[cancer]] patient, Shell had fought bravely against all adversity.<ref>David A. Specht, Jr., "Goodbye Dr. Shell", ''Bossier Press-Tribune'', May 7, 2008.</ref> On Shell's death, the police jury appointed Republican Paul McMillian "Mac" Plummer (born April 1956) of Bossier City to serve until the October 4 special election for the remainder of Shell's last term, which had begun on January 16, 2008.
Shell was "Educator of the Year" in Bossier Parish in 1970 and 1995 and "Mr. Bossier Parish" in 1970. He was a member of the Louisiana National Guard and served in the reserve components of the [[United States Army]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and the [[United States Marine Corps]]. He was the founder of the first day-time truancy center in Louisiana; by 2008, there were twelve such facilities. Shell was also a professional [[photographer]], often handling [[wedding]]s, and served as president of the trade association, the Professional Photographers of Louisiana from 1980 to 1981. He was a member of the Masonic lodge.<ref name="obit" />
==The break with Mormonism==
Shell was a member of the Broadmoor Assembly of God Church, but he and his second wife, the former Barbara Schneider (born November 1948), were [[Mormons]] from 1994 to 2002. He publicly broke with Mormonism and posted a statement on the [[Internet]] to that effect. Shell said that he conducted a study of the religion and determined the ''Book of Mormon'' to be [[fiction]]al. He particular rejected the Mormon concept of [[eternal progression]]: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/02/i-have-a-question?lang=eng |title= I Have a Question: Is President Lorenzo Snow's oft-repeated statement — "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be" — accepted as official doctrine by the Church? |first= Gerald N. |last= Lund |authorlink= Gerald N. Lund |date=February 1982 |journal= ''Ensign'' (Latter Day Saints magazine}}</ref> Shell encapsulated his testimony, accordingly, in second person:
"You must know [[Jesus Christ]] as your personal Savior. You must allow Him to enter into your heart. He must be a part of your life at work, home, and play. You can have a personal relationship with the living God through [[Jesus Christ]], and the assurance of eternal life, through prayer to the real God of [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], and [[Jacob]]. You will have daily the grace of love beyond expectations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mazeministry.com/mormonism/testimonies/eddy.htm|title=Edwin T. Shell Testimony|publisher=mazeministry.com|date=November 26, 2003|accessdate=April 13, 2015}}</ref>
==Death and legacy==
Shell died after a nearly two-year struggle with spiral sarcoma, a cancer which he once described as "four tumors wrapped around each other, encapsulated."<ref name="rucker">Janelle Rucker, "Police Juror, teacher still smiling after cancer fight", The Shreveport Times'', April 13, 2007.</ref> Despite the difficulties of [[surgery|surgeries]], [[radiation]], and [[chemotherapy]], Shell continued teaching, having missed no more than a week of instruction, and he still served on the police jury. He used his personal struggle with cancer as a lesson to his students and others to whom he came in contact.<ref name="stimes">"Bossier police juror remembered for smiles, stories", ''The Shreveport Times'', May 6, 2008.</ref> "I was trying to show my knuckle-headed students that cancer doesn't mean death," he said in 2007.<ref name="rucker"/> In the classroom, Shell was known for his enthusiasm and theatrics, sometimes getting atop his desk to make a particular point.<ref>Edwin T. Shell Guest Book (no longer on-line)</ref> Shortly after the funeral, Shell was honored in the commencement ceremonies at BPCC.<ref>"Eddy Shell given his final salutes", ''The Shreveport Times'', May 8, 2008.</ref>
In addition to wife Barbara, originally from Landau, [[Germany]], Shell was survived by a daughter, Sally S. Shell (born c. 1963), a teacher in [[Colorado]]; son Ted Shell (born c. 1966), a [[nurse]] in [[Tacoma]], [[Washington]], and granddaughter Callie Shell of College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[Texas]]; his siblings, Mally S. Hatch and Freeman E. Shell, Jr., both of Decatur, [[Alabama]], and Sally Elizabeth Shell Whitehead of Jacksonville, Arkansas; three step-children, and four step-grandchildren.<ref name="obit"/>
Kelly McDade, a BPCC instructor, said that the institution has its "work cut out for us to meet Dr. Shell's challenge of embodying the best there is in humanity. I learned from Dr. Shell that every day is an opportunity to embrace life with gusto and that to share knowledge and understanding with everyone I meet is an honor."<ref name="stimes"/>
Then BPCC Chancellor Tom Carleton, who delivered the eulogy at Shell's funeral, recalls that when Freeman Shell taught his son how to drive a car, he taught using the reverse gear first. "That's how [Eddy Shell] approached all of life's problems, taking the hardest first."<ref name="stimes"/>
Shell is interred with military honors at Hill Crest Memorial Park east of Bossier City.<ref name="obit"/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shell, Eddy}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Arkansas]]
[[Category:Educators]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Eagle Scouts]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps]]
[[Category:United States Army]]
[[Category:United States Navy]]