Alabama’s John Tyler McShan Was One Of A Kind

John Tyler “JT” McShan, who grew up in a family sawmill environment and later led Alabama-based McShan Lumber, and who was a leader and legend of the lumber industry and always a familiar and friendly face at association gatherings and machinery shows, and whose passion for recreation activities and his family was always—if not foremost—in his conversation, died peacefully on December 12, 2025. He was 99 years and 336 days.

Sawmilling was truly a labor of love for McShan, who commented once, “If you’re looking for comfort, there’s not much around. There’s always something—labor problems, mechanical problems, market problems, money problems. In retrospect you accomplished something and you’re glad you did it.”

McShan experienced a rejuvenation of sorts in the 1980s and 1990s as his children joined the business and managed it. “I had been pretty much without blood kin in the business,” he said. “Then when they came back I had some help. I got more ambitious.”

The mill in McShan, Ala. became, as it remains today a modern producer of mostly high grade boards.

Born on January 10, 1926 in McShan to the late John Tyler and Jessie Manning McShan, JT’s first job at his father’s sawmill was at age 10, as the water boy for 10 cents a day, pumping water and taking it up to the sawmill for workers to drink. At 14 he was loading lumber in boxcars and grade-marking.

He would go on to embody the resilience, duty, and adventurous spirit of what Tom Brokaw famously called “The Greatest Generation.” After graduating from Marion Military Institute, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and served aboard the battleship USS Pennsylvania in the Western Pacific, serving as second loader on a 40-millimeter anti-aircraft quad gun.

On August 12, 1945, while anchored in Buckner Bay, Okinawa, days before the war’s end, the ship was struck by a Japanese aerial torpedo, killing 20 in one of the final assaults on American forces. In later years JT attended reunions with his shipmates and was likely among the last surviving members of the Pennsylvania’s crew of more than 2,000. He received multiple medals for his time spent in WWII, including the Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, and Asiatic Pacific Medal.

Following the war, JT returned home and earned a degree in business management from the University of Alabama in 1949 and joined his father as the third-generation leader of family-owned McShan Lumber with roots already dating back over a century in Pickens County.

“When I started in 1949 there was almost no timber,” he said. “After World War II everything was pretty much stripped. I remember there was one tract of timber and I remember thinking if we don’t get it we won’t have any timber and we’ll go out of business, and if we pay too much for it we’ll go out of business. But really the timber was growing faster than I thought it was.”

JT recalled: “My dad was a very good manager. He knew how to pick people. He had a lot of common sense. He was very good with arithmetic and he wrote well.”

Ultimately taking the helm, JT managed every facet of the operation—from timber procurement to manufacturing and sales—with tireless dedication. In 1970, he modernized the mill, replacing the old steam-powered facility. Guided by his philosophy of “I love extravagance but I abhor waste,” JT focused on efficiency and innovation while fostering deep respect for the people who made the business thrive.

“Manufacture of lumber always needs improvement and blending the latest possibilities with our particular operation and the skills of our employees was constantly on my mind. Fortunately we had some extremely talented individuals who liked to experiment as much as I did.”

He took immense pride in seeing the family business thrive, especially into the fourth and fifth generations. Through the years he served actively in the Alabama Forestry Assn., Southern Pine Assn., Southern Forest Products Assn., and Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn.

“As my good friend Buddy Tolleson often said, ‘The lumber business is the greatest fraternity on earth.’ It has been a great pleasure to have been a part of that group.”

JT had married Bettye Ann Clements of Reform, Ala., and they raised four children. A man of boundless energy and competitive drive, JT pursued adventure with the same intensity he brought to work. He and Bettye excelled in sailboat racing, competing in Flying Scot regattas across the Southeast, towing their boat behind the family station wagon and filling shelves with hard-won silver trophies. An avid skier, JT was a regular in the early days of Aspen’s ski scene: First on the lifts each morning, last down each afternoon, and a colorful fixture at “après-ski” gatherings in his signature cat-eye Vuarnet sunglasses and corduroy pants.

JT’s travels took him far beyond Alabama. At age 54, he joined younger friends for a 1,500-mile mountain bike journey through Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain, complete with an unintended overnight stay in a Czechoslovakian prison after straying into a restricted military zone during live-fire exercises. His curiosity about Russia and Eastern Europe led to extensive rail journeys there when travel was uncommon for Americans. At 62, he tackled the challenging three-week Annapurna Circuit trek in Nepal, the most physically demanding experience of his life, returning with a newfound appreciation for Alabama’s lower elevations and thicker air.

In later years he shifted toward ocean voyages, making annual transatlantic crossings aboard the Sea Dream, with his final trip at age 97 accompanied by his daughters. He also enjoyed river cruises on the Danube, Amazon, and Irrawaddy.

New Orleans held a special place in his heart. JT loved celebrating family milestones there, claiming a seat at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, pausing only for meals at Galatoire’s. As he often said of the city: “I never wanted to go home when it was time to go home.”

Deeply committed to his community, JT played a key role in establishing Pickens Academy, a private school in Carrollton, Ala., which continues to educate students nearly 55 years later.

JT is survived by his children, Melissa McShan Allgood and her husband Richard Grover Allgood of McShan, Ala.; John Tyler McShan IV and his wife Sally Martin McShan of McShan, Ala.; Elizabeth “Missy” McShan Budd and her husband Kenneth Kaull Budd of Atlanta, Ga.; and Hunter Clements McShan and his wife Gina Tyson McShan of Columbus, Miss. He was adored and admired in countless ways by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Content in this article came from previous articles in Timber Processing magazine and from the obituary recently provided by the family.