John Turbyfill ’53 and Jack Shannon ’52, two giants of the Norfolk Southern Corporation who were dedicated and influential volunteers at their alma mater, passed away in the waning days of May at ages 92 and 93, respectively.
Like the twin steel rails of a railroad track, Turbyfill and Shannon led lives that were distinct yet parallel. In tandem, they offered both the railroad and Roanoke College the strength and direction they needed to make a difference in the Roanoke Valley and beyond. They also continued a legacy of connections between the railroad and Roanoke College, which has produced a long line of Norfolk & Western/Norfolk Southern executives that spans nearly 100 years.
“John Turbyfill and Jack Shannon had a profound influence on the story of Roanoke College,” said Roanoke College President Frank Shushok Jr. “Their character, work ethic and passion for our community can be seen in every corner of the college. They have shown us all, in so many beautiful ways, what it means to live a life of purpose.”
Turbyfill was born in North Carolina and Shannon was mostly reared in Florida, but as teens, both landed at what was then Andrew Lewis High School in Salem. After high school, they both attended Roanoke College, where Shannon participated in Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Delta Phi and Sigma Chi. As a Maroon, Turbyfill was vice president of the junior class, president of Blue Key Honor Society, a member of Sigma Delta Pi and Kappa Alpha, and a track letterman and member of the Monogram Club.
Shannon (at left) graduated with an economics degree and Turbyfill with a degree in history. Shannon was valedictorian of his class and, one year later, Turbyfill was salutatorian. Following Roanoke, their paths would continue to run side-by-side. Both attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where Shannon served as editor-in-chief of the Virginia Law Review and Turbyfill was on the board of editors.
From U.Va., their routes briefly diverged as each went to work for a different law firm. But in 1956, Shannon joined the legal department at what was then Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W), and Turbyfill (at right) joined the railway four years later as an assistant general attorney. Each rose steadily through the ranks to reach the top of their respective divisions, with Shannon ultimately retiring in 1996 as executive vice president-law and Turbyfill retiring (the same year) as vice chairman of the company.
David Goode, retired chairman, president and CEO of Norfolk Southern, worked for many years with Shannon and Turbyfill. He said their contributions to the railroad were immense, particularly the 1982 merger of N&W and Southern Railway to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation.
“In an era when the transportation system was being revolutionized, it was being revolutionized by people with Roanoke College roots,” Goode said, “and Shannon and Turbyfill were right there in the heart of that great period when mergers were occurring and the whole transportation network was being changed.”
Shannon spent 40 years in the legal department at Norfolk Southern while Turbyfill put his financial acumen to work, rising to chief financial officer before becoming vice chairman of the company. Goode said both men were “great intellects in their fields.”
“Jack was a pure lawyer and just a great student of the law, and he had a judicial temperament about the law that was very strong and very powerful. John Turbyfill became a real financial wizard, and he was probably one of the best chief financial officers in the country,” Goode said. “The railroad had complicated legal and financial issues during that period of great growth and expansion of the company, so you really needed top legal talent and top financial talent, and that’s what Jack and John brought to the company.”
When Shannon and Turbyfill joined N&W, they followed a line of Maroons who had also occupied C-suite offices there. Stuart T. Saunders ’30 had been president of N&W (and founding chairman of Penn Central Railroad), and he was followed as president by John P. Fishwick ’37. William T. Ross ’29 was assistant vice president of N&W. While Goode was not a Maroon, his father and sister were. Shannon kept the line going when he hired Roger Petersen ’81 in 1984. Petersen, also a U.Va. law graduate, retired as Norfolk Southern’s general counsel in 2019.
“They say that in our success, we stand on the shoulders of giants,” Petersen said. “In the early phase of my career, Jack and John were two of my giants.”
“In an era when the transportation system was being revolutionized, it was being revolutionized by people with Roanoke College roots, and Shannon and Turbyfill were right there in the heart of that great period when mergers were occurring and the whole transportation network was being changed.”
David Goode, retired CEO, Norfolk Southern
While Shannon mentored Petersen at Norfolk Southern, Turbyfill “was really my mentor in terms of developing a sense of philanthropy and a greater love for Roanoke College,” Petersen said.
The parallels continued with Shannon and Turbyfill’s volunteer service at Roanoke. Shannon was president of the college’s Associates Committee and chair of special gifts for the New Priorities Campaign. In 1974, he joined the board of trustees and was appointed chair of the executive committee, remaining on the board until 1982.
Turbyfill was president of the Alumni Association, chair of the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, a charter member of the Society of 1842 and national chair of the college’s Sesquicentennial Plan. He became a member of the board of trustees in 1982 and became chair in 1986, a position he held for 17 years. During his tenure, the school completed a highly successful fundraising campaign, far surpassing its goal for funding endowed scholarships, additional faculty positions, and new buildings and renovation projects. These included construction of the C. Homer Bast Physical Education and Recreation Center, the addition of the F.W. Olin Hall for the Arts and Humanities, the renovation of the Sections dorms, and athletic field upgrades.
For their tireless service, both received the college’s highest honor, the Roanoke College Medal — Turbyfill in 1983 and Shannon in 1985.
“They loved the college and credited the college with their success, which was considerable,” Goode said.
According to Petersen, when it came to asking people for money to support Roanoke, Turbyfill had “no shame.” Once, shortly after Petersen got a big promotion, Turbyfill submitted a pledge on Petersen’s behalf (and without his knowledge) that was about four times more than what Petersen had planned to give.
“Well,” Petersen said with a chuckle, “I figured that’s what John thinks I should be giving, and he is the chief financial officer.”
Turbyfill mentored Petersen onto the Hampton Rhodes Alumni Association, where he served as chair, and then to the President’s Advisory Board. Eventually, he recommended Petersen for the board of trustees, where he has served with distinction for 17 years. The legacy continued when Petersen hired Joseph Carpenter IV ’99 to the legal department at NS, where Carpenter is now senior general counsel. After volunteering as president of the Alumni Association, Carpenter joined the board of trustees in 2022.
“Roanoke College is extremely fortunate to have maintained these ties with Norfolk Southern over the years,” said Malon Courts, chair of the Roanoke College Board of Trustees. “I don’t know what the college would look like without the support of accomplished and dedicated Maroons like Jack Shannon and John Turbyfill. They will live on through the many successful students who pass through Roanoke.”
Shannon and Turbyfill also put their time and talent to work for causes beyond Norfolk Southern and Roanoke College. Shannon was president of the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley and the board of trustees at North Cross School. Turbyfill was involved in the Roanoke Transportation Museum, Mill Mountain Playhouse, Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce and Miss Virginia Pageant, in addition to organizations in Norfolk.
Having shared so many of life’s milestones, it seems fitting that these contemporaries left the world just four days apart — Shannon on May 27 and Turbyfill on May 31. Shannon is survived by his wife, Betty; children Scott, Elizabeth and Sandra; and five grandchildren. Turbyfill leaves behind his wife, Kate; children Karen and John Jr.; and four grandchildren.
Shannon and Turbyfill’s contributions to the nation’s transportation network, the Roanoke Valley community and a small college in Salem are now part of a legacy that winds inexorably through the mountains and valleys of memory.
“They just don’t make leaders like those guys anymore,” Petersen said. “Both of these icons were among the most ethical, kind, smart and generous men I have ever known.”