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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Clarence
4Shelley of Champaign, who passed away on January 17, 2022; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley was born to Grady Shelley and
6Alma (Jones) Shelley in Detroit, Michigan on August 16, 1931;
7he graduated from Miller High School, where he wrote
8editorials for the school newspaper; he majored in Journalism
9at Wayne State University before deciding to become a high
10school English teacher; he was initiated into the Alpha Beta
11Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. in 1951; his
12college education was interrupted when he began serving in the
13U.S. Army in 1952, and he was honorably discharged in 1954; he
14then returned to Wayne State, where he played on the football
15team and earned his bachelor's degree in English in 1957; he
16earned his master's degree in Education in 1965; he later
17married Sharon Ormsby; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley, after high school, worked as a
19dock worker with the Merchant Marines and on cruise ships on
20the Great Lakes; after graduating from college, he worked as
21an English teacher at Northeastern High School in Detroit for
2210 years; he also counseled and mentored students and advised
23administrators at the Detroit Board of Education, the

 

 

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1Cranbrook School in Michigan, Wayne State University, and
2Dartmouth College in New Hampshire; and
 
3    WHEREAS, After Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
4in 1968, Clarence Shelley was invited by Chancellor Jack
5Peltason of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to
6run a new program to support Black students; he became the
7first director of the new Special Education Opportunities
8Program and was charged with organizing one of the nation's
9earliest and largest recruitment efforts of Black students and
10students of color; his initiative, commonly known as Project
11500, aimed to bring more than 500 low-income Black students to
12the university in an effort to increase racial diversity, and
13he recruited approximately 580 Black students who would have
14probably not attended college otherwise; he was named dean of
15students in 1974, assistant vice chancellor in 1984, and
16associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs before his first
17retirement in 2001; he also served as special assistant to the
18chancellor and continued to develop cultural programming while
19acting as an ambassador to Black alumni and alumni of color
20until 2016; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley served as an adviser to African
22American Young Men Moving; he also served as a chapter adviser
23to the Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. for 25
24years; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley was awarded the UI Chancellor's
2Medallion for Service to the Campus and was one of 18
3remarkable individuals featured in the university's 150th
4anniversary publication for triggering innovation at the
5University of Illinois and beyond; he was recognized for his
6leadership and contributions by the American Civil Liberties
7Union, the Black Greek Council, the Interfraternity Council,
8La Casa Cultural Latina, the Asian Pacific American Student
9Coalition, and the UI Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
10Transgender Concerns; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley enjoyed film, football, train
12travel, and theater, including the Krannert Center and the
13Shakespeare Theater Festival; he also enjoyed entertaining his
14family and friends in his home and visiting his favorite
15spots, including Esquire Grill, Baxter's, Sun Singer, and
16occasionally Culver's; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley was preceded in death by his
18parents and his siblings, Grady Shellie, William Shelley,
19Clara Butler, Susie Spivey, Helen Perkins, Constance Turner,
20and Barbara Myles; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley is survived by his wife of 23
22years, Sharon Ormsby-Shelley; his daughters, Dana (Robert A.

 

 

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1Glasner) Vickers Shelley, Pamela-Alyse Shelley, and Courtney
2Walker; his son, Craig Walker; his sister, Carlotta Shelley;
3his brothers-in-law, Ronald (Reneé) G. Vickers and Matthew
4Tuite; his sister-in-law, Marveen Tuite; his grandchildren,
5Craig J. (Kasey) Walker Jr., Cory Sutton, Jordan (Megan)
6Walker, Danielle B. (Edwin) McGhee, Chase Walker, and David
7McKenzie; his nine great-grandchildren; his nieces and
8nephews; his Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brothers; his friends;
9and his former students, mentees, and colleagues; therefore,
10be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we mourn the passing of Clarence Shelley and extend our
14sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
15and loved him; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the family of Clarence Shelley as an expression
18of our deepest sympathy.