Gift Honors an 'Accounting Family'
Building fund donation honors father's legacy and family history in profession
OXFORD, Miss. – A major gift to the University of ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Patterson School of Accountancy tributes the late Bill Rush Mosby Jr., a longtime influential accountant in ºÚÁϳԹÏ, while honoring his extended family's history with the accounting profession.
Lesley and Bill Rush Mosby III, of Jackson, designated the $250,000 gift to the Patterson School of Accountancy Building Fund. To recognize their generosity, the school will name a multipurpose space in the new building in the patriarch's honor.
To call the Mosbys an "accounting family," as Rush Mosby refers to them, is an understatement. Following his father's work as a certified public accountant, most of the family has become either CPAs or have been associated with the profession.
"It all started with my dad, and I thought it would be a nice gesture since he was proud of all the CPAs in the family," the donor said.
Hailing from Natchez, Mosby Jr. worked at Silas Simmons LLP for his entire career and retired as a managing partner. He also served as president for the in 1977-78. All three of his children – Rush Mosby, Dee Mosby White and Sim Mosby – also became CPAs.
Rush Mosby III graduated from Ole Miss in 1982 with an accountancy degree, and Lesley Mosby graduated a year later with an education degree. The couple met during college and married in January 1984.
After graduating, Rush Mosby worked as a financial analyst for Callon Petroleum in Natchez, then moved to ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Chemical Corp. in Yazoo City. Later, he joined PaineWebber – later bought by UBS Financial Services – where he has been since 1987. He is a managing director of wealth management for the company.
"I just enjoyed all aspects of Ole Miss," Rush Mosby said, citing professors Jimmy Davis and Gene Peery as influential teachers during his student years. A major fan of Ole Miss athletics, Mosby has also been a longtime active member of the Rebel Club, Courtside Club and Vaught Society.
While his father is the gift's primary honoree, the donor also views the gift as representative of his family's identity in the accounting profession.
The couple's son, Will, and daughter-in-law, Betsy Bailey Mosby, have CPA certifications, with Will working as vice president of wealth management at UBS with his father. Their daughter, Hallie Mosby Beasley, who graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in marketing and communications, married Dane Beasley, who holds a UM accountancy degree.
Rush Mosby's brother, Sim, works alongside his son, Cole, as CPAs at Gillon, Christian, Mosby PLLC in Natchez. Sim was also a past president of the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Society of Certified Public Accountants. The donor's sister, Dee, has three children who are all CPAs.
Mark Wilder, the school's dean, expressed appreciation for the gift.
"Bill Rush Mosby, Jr. was a distinguished leader in the profession – and the Mosby name is synonymous with excellence in the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï CPA community," Wilder said. "We are grateful to Rush and the Mosby family for their generous gift to support a prominent space in our new building. "
In recent years, the has been ranked as No. 8 program nationally for accounting education. The school's planned 110,000-square-foot building will house classrooms, study spaces, and administrative and faculty offices, among other features.
For more information about supporting the school's new home, contact Jason McCormick, executive director for development, at jason@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1757. To make a gift, .
Top: Lesley and Bill Rush Mosby III, of Jackson, made a major gift to the Patterson School of Accountancy Building Fund. The gift honors Mosby's father, Bill Rush Mosby Jr., and the family's history in the accounting profession. Photo by Joe Ellis/UM Medical Center