Shepherd, Alana - Buckhead Heritage

Biography

Alana Shepherd was born in 1930 in Sioux City, Iowa. She co-founded the Shepherd Center in Atlanta in 1975, growing it into one of the nation’s top rehabilitation hospitals for spinal cord and brain injuries. She played a key role in bringing the 1996 Paralympic Games to Atlanta and influenced Olympic policy to ensure equal support for Paralympic events. Her groundbreaking leadership earned her numerous lifetime achievement awards, including induction into the National Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame, and she was the first woman to chair the Buckhead Coalition and serve on major corporate boards.

Abstract of Interview

Alana Shepherd, co-founder of the Shepherd Center, recounts her life story, from her childhood in Sioux City, Iowa, and her teen years in Atlanta during the 1940s, to her role in founding one of the nation’s leading rehabilitation hospitals. She shares vivid memories of Buckhead’s social life, early Atlanta landmarks, and the challenges and triumphs of establishing the Shepherd Center after her son’s devastating accident. Shepherd also reflects on her groundbreaking roles in civic organizations, her involvement with the 1996 Paralympics, and the dramatic transformation of Buckhead over the decades.

Read the transcript.

Video

Visit YouTube to view additional video excerpts from our Oral History Project.

Buckhead Heritage Society
3180 Mathieson Drive, Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30305