A major gift to the University of Mississippi Patterson School of Accountancy tributes the late Bill Rush Mosby Jr., a longtime influential accountant in Mississippi, while honoring his extended family’s history within the accounting profession.
Lesley and Bill Rush Mosby III of Jackson, Mississippi, 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 CPA, 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, Mississippi, Mosby Jr. worked as a CPA at Silas Simmons, LLP for his entire career and retired as a managing partner. He also served as president for the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants in 1977-1978. All three of his children — Rush Mosby, Dee Mosby White and Sim Mosby — became CPAs as well.
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 were married in January 1984.
After graduating, Rush Mosby worked as a financial analyst for Callon Petroleum in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1982, then went to work at Mississippi Chemical Corp. in Yazoo City, Mississippi, from 1986 to 1987. Later, he joined PaineWebber (later bought by UBS Financial Services), where he has been since 1987. He is now 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 time in the accounting program. As 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 now 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 Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants. The donor’s sister, Dee, has three children (Grace Ann White Plash, Lee Inman White III and Semmes White), all of whom are CPAs.
Dean of the School of Accountancy, Mark Wilder, expressed appreciation for the Mosbys’ gift.
“Bill Rush Mosby, Jr. was a distinguished leader in the profession – and the Mosby name is synonymous with excellence in the Mississippi 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. We are enjoying exceptional success in the Patterson School and believe our new facility will enable us to reach even higher levels of excellence.”
Even while looking ahead, Mosby looks back at his father’s life and how it shaped him into the person he is today.
“My father was proud of the Accountancy School with all of its accolades, and if he was alive, he would be excited to see the beautiful new facility,” he said.
In recent years, the Patterson School of Accountancy has risen to be the No. 8 program in the nation for accounting. Located on the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop, the new 110,000-square-foot building will house study spaces, administrative and faculty office suites, and new tiered auditoriums, among other features.
For more information about supporting the new home of the Patterson School of Accountancy, contact Jason McCormick, executive director for development, at jason@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1757. To make a gift, visit https://give.olemiss.edu.
By Andy Belt/UM Foundation