William Shortridge
William Eugene Shortridge (born March 17, 1900 in Birmingham; died April 28, 1964 in Birmingham) was a funeral director and owner of the Shortridge Funeral Home in Ensley. He was also chairman of the boards of the Jones Valley Finance Company and the Atlanta College of Mortuary Science.
Shortridge served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and completed a bachelor of science in commerce and finance at Howard University in Washington D.C. He took over his father's funeral home at his death in 1925.
Shortridge served on the Judicial Council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and terms as president of the Jefferson County Funeral Directors Association, Alabama Funeral Directors Association and National Funeral Directors Association. He was active in the Birmingham branch of the NAACP and served one term as president. In 1956 he accepted the position of treasurer for the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. He also served on the executive board of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Shortridge died while in the hospital for treatment of a heart condition. Martin Luther King spoke at his funeral at St John AME Church. He was survived by his wife, Pinky, and children Wilda and Jimmy. He was buried at Shadow Lawn Memorial Park.
References
- "W. E. Shortridge, Leader in Alabama, Passes Away" (May 1, 1964) The Montgomery Advertiser, p. 29
External links
- William E. Shortridge at Findagrave.com