The Murray High School 2019 class officers in collaboration with the Murray High School Yearbook staff raised funding to honor Mrs. Robbie Shelby, long-time (2004-2019) MHS Chemistry Teacher, who passed away suddenly on February 11, 2019. The funding raised was used to erect a bronze plaque outside her former classroom dedicated to the late Robbie Shelby, who passionately nurtured her chemistry students with the phrase, “Remember I Love You But……” Krista Shelby Fielder, daughter of the late Robbie Shelby, visited Murray High School with her father, Wesley Shelby, to see the plaque mounted outside her mother’s former classroom.
Krista described her mother as intensely passionate about her profession and the students she served. “Getting to design the layout of her "perfect" classroom and teach in it was a dream for my mom and getting to see it become a reality was so important to her,” Fielder explained. “I have had the privilege of spending my entire life witnessing the impact of her work on future generations. I grew up being told repeatedly how much she meant to so many, but receiving the outpouring of love for her over the last few years has been extraordinary and has meant so, so much to my family. Having this room, that she was so proud of, dedicated to her and the incredible work that she did is the best way I think of to celebrate the lasting impact that she left on this world.”
Tony Jarvis, MHS principal, said this tribute is a deserved honor in recognition of Shelby’s influence. "We are so pleased to have Mrs. Shelby's family come back to see how her students honored her with the classroom plaque. She had a tremendous impact on Murray High students for many, many years."
Robbie Shelby was born in Chicago, IL on July 26, 1952 to the late Kenneth and Evon Stagner Robertson. Robbie earned her undergraduate degree from UT Martin and her Master’s Degree from Murray State University.
In addition to the countless lives of former students lives she touched, those left to cherish her memory include her husband to whom she married on September 21, 1974, Wesley Shelby of Murray; two sons, Jason Shelby (Ellis) of Murray, Matthew Shelby (Carrie) of St. Louis; two daughters, Krista Fielder (Drew) of Murray, Shannon Shelby (fiancé, Justin Pennington) of Los Angeles; five grandchildren, Virginia Shelby, Wesley Shelby, III, Jackson Shelby, Nathaniel Shelby, and Josephine Fielder.