Tennessee may not beat Alabama every year, but 53 years ago, we scored a big win when Ed Shouse moved here to attend UT. There have been other big wins because when Ed Shouse determines an interest, it becomes a passion that he turns into realization with major impact for the community.

What Ed calls interests, I call passions, ranging from the banking and railroad industries to current and historical events to politics, defining a lifetime of public service to the Knoxville community.

Working his way through his time at the university, Ed washed dishes during the day for the Gibbs Hall football dorm, but he found his first interest in banking with an evening data processing job at the Hamilton National Bank.

Staying in banking after graduation, he became a vice president and corporate trust officer at Hamilton, which by then was First Tennessee Bank.

The railroad industry was another interest of Ed’s that propelled him to purchase the Alabama and Florida railroad company in 1990 along with friends and other investors. He operated the 70-mile South Alabama short line railroad for five years before working for the Knoxville-based short line Gulf and Ohio railroad company for 15 years.

Ed Shouse’s drive to leverage opportunities is not done in isolation as he is a definite master of multitasking as his involvement in current events and politics have helped define Knoxville politics for decades. Not surprising, one of his favorite quotes is by Fred Smith: “Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.”

He recalls his decision to step into the fray after the World’s Fair and later the county’s Black Wednesday scandal.

“I felt that the Knoxville City Council needed more professionalism and would benefit from greater business acumen. The city faced large debts and redevelopment problems following the World’s Fair. I was elected to the city council in 1983 and served for 20 years. On council I was a member of the investment committee and chair of the beer board.

“The Black Wednesday Scandal reignited my interest in local government, and I ran for a vacated seat on Knox County Commission. I was elected to the commission in 2008 and served there for six years. While a commissioner, I was a member of the pension board and audit committee. In 2014, I was elected Knox County trustee and served two consecutive four-year terms.”

Ed has not left his banking background. He is currently at FirstBank, where he opened a campaign account about 10 years ago. He says it is a great place to bank and to work.

Yes, work. Ed works in the government relations and business development area for FirstBank, a natural fit for the civics, banking leader whose dedication to ethical practices and social responsibility reflects a desire to not just succeed personally, but to uplift the community and make a positive impact.

Ed has been active with the Tennessee Valley Fair for years, having looked forward to a fall fair since he was a kid. He was the president of the fair for three years from 2010-13 and has been on the executive committee since.

He coordinates the opening day Business & Government lunch with FirstBank being a big sponsor of the Tennessee Valley Fair. It is a perfect match.

His love of history led him to minor in history at UT, serve on the Knoxville History Project board and visit museums, battlefields and historical sites in his spare time.

Ed and his wife, Lisa, a retired legal secretary, have been married 34 years. Their son, Joe, attends a flight school and works for LHP Capital. They love the beauty and natural resources of our region and frequently visit the Smokies and Seven Islands State Birding Park. Ed is a big baseball fan and usually attends at least a dozen MLB games a year and is excited about the return of Smokies baseball to downtown.

Another of Ed Shouse’s favorite quotes is one to remember: “It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.”  – Warren Buffett

All of us have a story and I want to tell yours! Send them to susan@knoxtntoday.com.