Alumni Hall of Fame
Service to St. Marys City Schools (2012)

Larry J. Shelby, a native of St. Marys, was a member of the Memorial High School Class of 1960. Mr. Shelby was a lifetime active member of the greater St. Marys community who championed causes of the St. Marys City Schools. This lifetime of service was maintained on a consistent basis no matter the reason or the cause over the course of raising four children with his wife, Ronda, enjoying his grandchildren and giving over thirty years of service to the local financial industry.

Larry first served the St. Marys City Schools as a parent. He was President of the Parent / Teacher Associations of both East and West Schools and the district’s overall Central Parent / Teacher Association. His service included the planning and execution of fundraising events that allowed the district to purchase “extras” that enhanced the overall educational experience of the students of St. Marys City Schools. Mr. Shelby’s contributions spilled over into not only the educational endeavors of the district but the extra - curricular and athletic activities supported by such organizations as the Rider Rooters Athletics Booster Club.

Mostly over the course of the 1980s, Mr. Shelby increased his involvement with the St. Marys City Schools by asking for the public trust to serve on the Board of Education. The voters elected him to three four - year terms, allowing him twelve years of service on the Board of Education, where he eventually served as President. During his tenure, he was involved in the physical expansion of the district as the Denning’s Vocational Building was built on McKinley Road and McBroom Junior High School added classroom, physical education and athletic space with the Cook Addition. Both facilities continue to serve the people of this community in 2012. Mr. Shelby was also noted for lobbying local, state and federal officials on issues related to education.

Perhaps Mr. Shelby’s most profound impact and service to the St. Marys City Schools and its alumni came in 1974, when he was a founding member of the St. Marys Community Foundation. The Foundation began with $8,000.00 in assets that have grown to over 2.5 million dollars in assets, and has benefited hundreds of alumni of the St. Marys City Schools in their post - secondary educational pursuits. The Community Foundation annually awards scholarships and grants to alumni of our school district to pursue post - secondary education opportunities at colleges and universities throughout Ohio and the nation. The gift of education and the ability to obtain a degree or certification reliably improves the lives of these alumni and their families in many ways.

Mr. Shelby was involved in the greater St. Marys community and championed the causes of organizations including the St. Marys Kiwanis Club, St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Marys Community Improvement Corporation and the Auglaize County Council on Aging. He also volunteered his services to causes related to the sports of bicycling and rifling. In recognition of his lifetime of service, President George H.W. Bush named Mr. Shelby one his 1000 Points of Light Award recipients in 1991. Kiwanis International honored Mr. Shelby with the George F. Hixson Award in 1999. The St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce presented Larry with the Builder of Bridges Award in 2001. The Auglaize County Council on Aging named Mr. Shelby and his wife, Ronda, the 2009 Senior Citizens of the Year. Mr. Shelby passed away in June 2009.



For his consistent, dedicated and outstanding Service to the St. Marys City Schools, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Mr. Larry J. Shelby into its Hall of Fame for Service To St. Marys City Schools.

The above text, in its entirety, is embossed on a St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Hall of Fame plaque permanently on display in Memorial High School.