Meet the Talented Dr. Mosley

James C. Mosley III, MD, loves to work on his "muscle" car, a two-tone black Shelby GT 500 with a super-charged V-8 engine that produces nearly 800 horsepower and admiring looks from other motorists.

"You can quickly wrap yourself around a tree," he cautions. The Southeast Missouri Hospital oncologist quips that it has plenty of "merging and passing power."

Dr. Mosley regularly wipes down the car, even under the hood. The engine typically looks spotless. "You could eat off of it," he proudly notes.

He is particular about the sporty car which has a featured spot in his three-car garage. "It doesn't go out unless it is spotless," he says, cleaning off a spot under the hood. He even named his boxer puppy, "Shelby," in honor of the car which is named for a famous 1960s-era race car driver.

Since moving to Cape Girardeau last year to join Hematology-Oncology Associates of Southeast Missouri Hospital, Dr. Mosley already has become acquainted with other Shelby car enthusiasts. "When you drive around, people find you," he says.

For everyday driving, you'll find Dr. Mosley behind the wheel of his Ford F-150 pickup truck which offers plenty of hauling room, including space for his bicycles.

Dr. Mosley grew up in Ooltewah, TN, close to the Georgia border. It's a town much smaller than Cape Girardeau, located just northeast of Chattanooga. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine at Memphis.

Not surprisingly, the Cape Girardeau physician is a diehard fan of Tennessee Volunteers athletics and especially football. He sports a bright orange "T" on the back window of his pickup truck. "I bleed orange," he says, flashing his engaging smile. Dr. Mosley says he has discovered a number of Tennessee Vols fans in the Cape Girardeau area. "There are actually quite a few of us here."

In the comfort of his spacious home, Dr. Mosley likes to play his banjo. It's a hobby he picked up while attending medical school. "I went out one day and bought one," he recalls. He taught himself how to play the banjo through Internet lessons.

His Cape Girardeau home features a stylish kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances. But Dr. Mosley says his culinary desire revolves around cooking outside on the grill.

"Usually every night in the summer, you will find me out on the porch," he says.

Dr. Mosley also loves to ski, although he admits he has had little time for it lately. "That is one of my biggest passions," he points out. "I have all my own equipment," he says, adding that he loves to ski the Park City, UT, slopes as well as other places out west.

At home, Dr. Mosley enjoys getting down on the floor and playing with his boxer puppy, Shelby. The boxer's doggie bed, bearing the Shelby name, has a featured spot in the living room. "I love dogs," he notes.

He bought the puppy even before he bought his house. "I figured I had a dog so I had to buy a house," he says with a smile.

So what does he like about dogs? "It's the unconditional love," he quickly replies. Dogs are happy to see their owners every day, he notes. "Every day is the best day of their lives."

These days, that might well apply to Dr. Mosley too.