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Michael Shelly Obituary
July 14, 1936 - June 19, 2025
Michael B. Shelly, retired ISU professor, age 88, died at home on 6/19/2025. He was born on 7/14/1936 to Frank and Dorothy Shelly in Amsterdam, NY.
He served in the US Army in Germany from 1958-1960, where he served in a unit with Elvis Presley.
He went on to earn a doctorate at Southern Illinois University and taught Public Relations at Illinois State University from 1965 to 1995. In his career, he published ten scholarly articles and a book on opinion sampling. While at ISU, he was active in removing the word Normal from the school's name. He was also instrumental in adding a liberal arts program to the previous teacher college, and supervised the Vidette, the student newspaper. One of his innovative accomplishments was called Communication Week, in which alumni returned to campus to offer advice and share experiences with undergraduates.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Beck's Memorial Home, Bloomington. Cremation rites have been accorded. He will be laid to rest at St. Mary's Cemetery in Ft. Johnson, New York.
He is survived by one daughter, Gretchen Shelly (Len Meyer), two grandchildren, Kari Clark-Helmold (Nick) and Mathew (Amelia) Clark, and four great-grandchildren.
He married Karen Gottlieb from East Peoria in 1962 and remarried Nancy Lang from Amsterdam in 1991. She died in 2014.
While he never appeared on Jeopardy, he was a walking encyclopedia, especially when it came to history. He never met a dog or cat he didn't like, so in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Clover's Cat Club at https://cloverscatclub.org.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Michael Shelly
Sponsored by Beck Memorial Home.
3 Entries
Rich Limacher
June 23, 2025
Dr. Shelly (but when I was in his Journalism 101 class at ISU he was still a "Mr.") is the one professor during my undergraduate years that I miss the most. I credit him and his classes (he also taught Journalism 102) with turning me into a "news hound." I had gone to college seeking an acting career in the theatre, but "a little bit of Shelly's walking encyclopedia" brought me over to the "dark" ink-smudged side of newsprint. That was one of his very first lessons, by the way: "Newsprint" has nothing to do with "news" or "printing." It is the merely type of PAPER that the news is printed on.
Michael Shelly was so good as a classroom instructor that--much later when I became a teacher myself--I used his teaching materials in my own classroom that I had saved (for years!) from his.
He also became a good friend later in life. My wife and I would visit him and Nancy in and around Bloomington for social engagements, and once we even met them at Illinois Starved Rock State Park. He was a wonderful professor, a great man, and a darn good friend. He is more than missed.
Barb (BELL) Lundgren
June 22, 2025
I was the first female EVER admitted to the MEN'S ISU Coffee held on Wednesdays at 8 AM when Claude Bell was restricted to a wheel chair at Westminster Village. (I was his driver until Jan 2017 when he passed) I became Mike's email pen pal after I moved home to North Carolina.
Even tho it required a VEGAN meal, he ALWAYS looked forward to spending his birthdays with Gretchen and TOTALLY worshiped the great grands.
Wishing you Peace in your journey, Barb
Jim Pohlmann
June 21, 2025
Mike was a great friend to my dad.
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