TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Clarence K. Shelley 1931–2022 Collegiate Dean, Educator, Mentor, U.S. Army By Aaron Williams
cellor Jack Peltason offered Shelley an opportunity to lead an innovative university-sponsored program focused on African American students. Shelley accepted the position to spearhead and direct the Special Education Opportu- nities Program, known as Project 500, which was one of the nation’s earliest recruitment programs and one of the most successful African American stu- dent initiatives. “I had a two-year assignment here. I was convinced that I could do this magic in two years…increase the num- ber of students of color on this campus. Of course, two years turned into four, which turned into forty. So that’s how I happened to wind up in this chair right now….” In 1974 he was named Dean of Students, and in 1984 he became As- sistant Vice-Chancellor, then Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and finally Special Assistant to the Chancel- lor. Serving under five UIUC presidents and nine chancellors, Shelley’s decades- long commitment to higher education access and opportunity for first-gener- ation, low-income, and Black students also included contributing to academic research, professional training materials, and other publications. Shelley served as faculty sponsor to the University of Illinois-Champaign Chapter, the Beta of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., for 25 years. He was also an advisor to African American Young Men Moving. He was a member
of the UIUC Chancellor’s Medallion for Service to the Campus, Black Greek Council, Interfraternity Council, among other campus organizations. UIUC recognized Shelley as one of 18 “remarkable individuals who triggered innovation at the University of Illinois and beyond” featured in the university’s 150 th -anniversary publication. Through- out his career, Shelley received numer- ous awards and citations for his service to higher education, with a special inter- est in advocacy for those underrepre- sented groups in American colleges and universities. In 2002, UIUC awarded him the Chancellor�s Medallion for service to the Campus. Brother Clarence K. Shelley was predeceased by his parents and sib- lings, Grady Shellie, William Shel- ley, Clara Butler, Susie Spivey, Helen Perkins, Constance Turner, and Barbara Myles. He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Sharon Ormsby-Shelley; daugh- ters, Dana Vickers Shelley (Robert A. Glasner) and Pamela-Alyse Shelley; sister, Carlotta Shelley; brother-in-law Ronald G. Vickers (Reneé); beloved nieces and nephews; sister-in-law, Marveen Tuite, and brother-in-law Matthew Tuite. From his marriage to Sharon: son Craig Walker, daughter Courtney Walker; grandchildren Craig J. Walker Jr. (Kasey), Cory Sutton, Jordan Walker (Megan), Danielle B. McGhee (Edwind), Chase Walker and David McKenzie; nine great-grandchildren; as well as former students, UIUC commu- nity, mentees, friends, and professional colleagues.
L ongtime senior leader and diver- sity champion at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Clarence K. Shelley (Alpha Beta 1951) entered the Chapter Invisible on Monday, January 17, 2022, at age 91. Danita Brown Young, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UIUC, said, “He was a mentor to everyone. He was a father figure. He was a counselor, an advocate. I mean, he was so special, definitely one in a million.” Clarence K. Shelley was born in Detroit, MI, on August 16, 1931, the fourth child of Grady Shelley and Alma (née Jones) Shelley. After graduat- ing from Detroit’s Miller High School, Shelley worked as a dock worker with the Merchant Marines and on cruise ships on the Great Lakes. He attended Wayne State University and left from 1952 to 1954 to join the U.S. Army. After his honorable discharge, Shelley returned to Wayne State and earned a B.A. in English in 1957. He later earned a master’s degree in 1965 from Wayne State. Shelley started his career in educa- tion as an English instructor at Detroit’s Northeastern High School, where his students included future Motown entertainers Mary Wilson, Florence Bal- lard, and members of the Miracles. He then transitioned into college recruiting, working for Dartmouth and the Detroit Board of Education.
In 1968, after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, UIUC Chan-
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