Thomas Bailey Shropshire, a Past Grand Sire Archon of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulé), was a transformative figure in the brewing industry. He played a critical role in establishing Miller Brewing Company as one of the top brewers in the world. Shropshire was born on October 15, 1925, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to William Shropshire, a railroad worker, and Irene F. Bailey Shropshire, a schoolteacher. There were two other sons, Atty. Jackie Lamond Shropshire and Dr. William Bruce Shropshire.
After graduating from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Little Rock in 1943, Shropshire served two years in the United States Navy during World War II. Once discharged from the Navy he continued his studies, enrolling at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, and earning a Bachelor of Science in 1950. While there he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Shropshire completed a Master of Business Administration degree at the New York University School of Business Administration in 1951.
Shropshire began his career in 1952 as a sales representative for Philip Morris, initially working in Brooklyn before relocating to Chicago. He eventually covered much of Africa, taking on increasingly significant responsibilities for sales, distribution, personnel training, marketing and program development.
In 1961, Shropshire led distribution and sales for Philip Morris in West and Central Africa. By 1967, he had been promoted to the Coordinator of Marketing and Sales for Africa. In 1968, he became the managing director and CEO of Philip Morris in Lagos, Nigeria, where he trained over 1,000 Nigerian employees and established a 1,200-acre experimental farm to teach farmers efficient methods for growing and curing tobacco. This achievement made him one of the first African American in corporate America to reach that position. In 1972, Shropshire moved from Nigeria to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to work for Miller Brewing Company, then a subsidiary of Philip Morris.
After Philip Morris acquired Miller Brewing Company in 1970, Shropshire became vice president at Miller, overseeing sales, distribution, marketing, strategic planning, and business development. He was pivotal in launching “Lite Beer” and “Miller Genuine Draft,” significantly contributing to Miller’s ascent as the second-largest brewer in the United States.
In 1982, Shropshire served a ten-year term on the Board of Trustees at Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, D.C. Three years later in 1985, Shropshire retired after serving as assistant to the president, senior vice president, treasurer, and board member of Miller Brewing Company and vice president of Philip Morris, Inc.
During Shropshire’s tenure as Grand Sire Archon of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, from 2000 to 2002, the fraternity witnessed significant developments under his leadership. He established a Public Policy Committee and initiated a study that resulted in a fraternity-wide strategic plan. His leadership and initiatives left a lasting impact on the fraternity. Throughout his career, Shropshire received numerous accolades, including honorary doctorates from Miles College and Talladega College, the Alpha Phi Alpha Distinguished Service Award, the B’nai B’rith Human Rights Award, the Lincoln University Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the NAACP Freedom Award for Business.
Thomas B. Shropshire married Jacqulyn Calloway, a civic leader from Kansas City, Missouri, and was the father of Terilyn Alyce Shropshire and Thomas Jr. He died on August 14, 2003, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 77.
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“Introducing the New Grand Sire Archon, Thomas B. Shropshire and His Archousa, Jacqulyn,” The Boulé Journal, https://digital.library.emory.edu/catalog/590dv41rj7-cor; “People, Locations, Episodes,” African American Registry, https://aaregistry.org/story/thomas-stropshire-born/; “Thomas B Shropshire,” Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7863025/thomas_b-shropshire.
