HR0660 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0660 LRB102 26078 ECR 35543 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Clarence Shelley of Champaign, who passed away on January 17, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley was born to Grady Shelley and Alma (Jones) Shelley in Detroit, Michigan on August 16, 1931; he graduated from Miller High School, where he wrote editorials for the school newspaper; he majored in Journalism at Wayne State University before deciding to become a high school English teacher; he was initiated into the Alpha Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. in 1951; his college education was interrupted when he began serving in the U.S. Army in 1952, and he was honorably discharged in 1954; he then returned to Wayne State, where he played on the football team and earned his bachelor's degree in English in 1957; he earned his master's degree in Education in 1965; he later married Sharon Ormsby; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley, after high school, worked as a dock worker with the Merchant Marines and on cruise ships on the Great Lakes; after graduating from college, he worked as an English teacher at Northeastern High School in Detroit for 10 years; he also counseled and mentored students and advised administrators at the Detroit Board of Education, the Cranbrook School in Michigan, Wayne State University, and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire; and

WHEREAS, After Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, Clarence Shelley was invited by Chancellor Jack Peltason of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to run a new program to support Black students; he became the first director of the new Special Education Opportunities Program and was charged with organizing one of the nation's earliest and largest recruitment efforts of Black students and students of color; his initiative, commonly known as Project 500, aimed to bring more than 500 low-income Black students to the university in an effort to increase racial diversity, and he recruited approximately 580 Black students who would have probably not attended college otherwise; he was named dean of students in 1974, assistant vice chancellor in 1984, and associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs before his first retirement in 2001; he also served as special assistant to the chancellor and continued to develop cultural programming while acting as an ambassador to Black alumni and alumni of color until 2016; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley served as an adviser to African American Young Men Moving; he also served as a chapter adviser to the Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. for 25 years; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley was awarded the UI Chancellor's Medallion for Service to the Campus and was one of 18 remarkable individuals featured in the university's 150th anniversary publication for triggering innovation at the University of Illinois and beyond; he was recognized for his leadership and contributions by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Black Greek Council, the Interfraternity Council, La Casa Cultural Latina, the Asian Pacific American Student Coalition, and the UI Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley enjoyed film, football, train travel, and theater, including the Krannert Center and the Shakespeare Theater Festival; he also enjoyed entertaining his family and friends in his home and visiting his favorite spots, including Esquire Grill, Baxter's, Sun Singer, and occasionally Culver's; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Grady Shellie, William Shelley, Clara Butler, Susie Spivey, Helen Perkins, Constance Turner, and Barbara Myles; and

WHEREAS, Clarence Shelley is survived by his wife of 23 years, Sharon Ormsby-Shelley; his daughters, Dana (Robert A. Glasner) Vickers Shelley, Pamela-Alyse Shelley, and Courtney Walker; his son, Craig Walker; his sister, Carlotta Shelley; his brothers-in-law, Ronald (Reneé) G. Vickers and Matthew Tuite; his sister-in-law, Marveen Tuite; his grandchildren, Craig J. (Kasey) Walker Jr., Cory Sutton, Jordan (Megan) Walker, Danielle B. (Edwin) McGhee, Chase Walker, and David McKenzie; his nine great-grandchildren; his nieces and nephews; his Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brothers; his friends; and his former students, mentees, and colleagues; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Clarence Shelley and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Clarence Shelley as an expression of our deepest sympathy.