For the Shumocks, Giving Back Starts With Showing Up
Posted on September 4, 2026
A phone call from a former high school coach led to Jimmy Shumock’s reconnecting with his alma mater — and eventually a $1 million legacy gift he and his wife, Debbie, hope will inspire others.
Five years after graduating from the University of South Alabama, James H. “Jimmy” Shumock had settled into married life with his wife, Debbie, and a career at Thompson Engineering. Then, the phone rang.
It was Steve Kittrell, Mr. Shumock’s high school baseball coach. “At that time, Coach Kittrell was a few years into coaching South Alabama Baseball,” he said. “We had lunch, reconnected, and through my job I had the opportunity to get involved with the program.”
That reunion opened a door. Before long, what began as a personal connection had grown into Thompson Engineering’s name attached to the Jaguars, and the Shumocks’ own giving taking root at their alma mater. Now, the Shumocks have committed at least $1 million through a planned gift to the University, broadly designated to support several areas that have become especially meaningful to them: academics, athletics, the Jaguar Marching Band and USA Health.
Mr. Shumock, a 1980 accounting graduate and Certified Public Accountant, spent 38 years building his career with Thompson Engineering. He rose to board chairman and CEO before retiring. As a student in the Mitchell College of Business, his involvement in his University outside of academics was not particularly deep. “I didn't grow up with a lot, so I worked hard to get my degree and get out,” he said. “But sports was always my connection to the University.”
Decades later, that tie has grown into something much stronger. The Shumocks rarely miss an opportunity to support the Jags. Whether it’s volleyball, basketball, football or baseball — “if there’s a ball involved, I want to see what’s going on,” he said.
Mrs. Shumock spent most of her career working in the U.S. Postal Service. She attended South as an adult, motivated in part by a desire to set an example for their daughter. That example carried forward in 2025, when the Shumocks’ granddaughter graduated from South.
Over the years, the Shumocks have welcomed South Alabama coaches and staff into their home for meals and fellowship, spent time watching teams practice and made a point of simply showing up for the students and people who make South special.
“After attending a recent basketball practice I went to, I was waiting to speak to Coach Riley,” Mr. Shumock said, "when one by one, the players came over to shake my hand. There was not a single dollar spent, but the players appreciated the fact that somebody was interested enough to come out and watch them practice.”
Mr. Shumock has served the University in numerous leadership roles, including 16 years on the Board of Trustees, three of them as chair pro tempore. He is the president of the Jaguar Athletic Fund, a Mitchell College of Business fellow and a former member of the USA Foundation Board. Alongside Meredith Mitchell Hamilton, he serves as co-chair of the Where Bold Begins Campaign Leadership Committee, helping lead the University of South Alabama’s largest comprehensive campaign to date. He previously also served six years on the USA National Alumni Association Board and is a 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
The couple’s support already has reached many corners of the University, including the College of Engineering and construction of Shelby Hall and Hancock Whitney Stadium. They also endowed a scholarship in Mr. Shumock’s parents’ name through the Mitchell College of Business.
“We've gotten so much out of the University just by the fellowship, the friends and the activities,” Mrs. Shumock said. “We felt this wasn't just something we needed to do, but something we wanted to do.”
