Philip Shelley

Obituary of Philip Eugene Shelley

Dr. Philip E. Shelley, 75, of Las Vegas, passed away from pancreatic cancer April 11, 2011 at Nathan Adelson Hospice, Las Vegas. He was born October 5, 1935, in Bristol, TN. He was married to Sonya Iverson Shelley in 1976. Dr. Shelley's education includes bachelors and masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Math and Metallurgy from The University of Tennessee and a PhD in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech. Prior to retirement Dr. Shelley was President and General Manager of EG&G Science Support Company. They teamed with Universities Research Association to win the contract to design, construct, operate and maintain the Super Conducting Super Collider (SSC), the largest high energy physics machine in the world. Total program cost was over $12.2 billion, and when the program was cancelled by Congress it was ahead of schedule and on budget. The cost to terminate was $763 million and nearly 5,000 employees were laid off. While in the Dallas area, he was invited to serve on the City's High Technology Task Force. Earlier assignments with EG&G included Chief Scientist, serving as science advisor to the U.S. Navy's Environmental Protection and Pollution Abatement Ashore research programs, Principal Investigator on a joint UEPA/Environment Canada water quality sampling study, EPA's Nationwide Urban Runoff Program, and numerous other technical projects. He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Physics Society, and Sigma Xi. In retirement Dr. Shelley served as President of the Sun City Silvertones Chorale, President of several condominium HOA's in which he held property and Board member of the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Las Vegas. He enjoyed traveling, reading and singing. Dr. Shelley was preceded in death by his father, MP Shelley, and mother, Mary Stover Shelley. He is survived by his wife Sonya; daughter Kaiya Iverson of Lisle, IL; daughter Pamela Shelley Kessler of Thousand Oaks, CA; son Eirik Iverson of Leesburg, VA; son Peter Shelley of Fontana, CA and three grandchildren. Services will be held at 12:00 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at The Pinnacle Community Center, Sun City Summerlin, 2216 Thomas Ryan Blvd, La Vegas, NV 89134. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Las Vegas (UUCLV) 3316 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89115. Dr. Shelley was Vice President of UUCLV at the time of his death. The congregation was extremely supportive of Dr. Shelley in his final months. The minister visited him almost every day as he neared the end. They have continued to help with arrangements, running errands, driving and providing invaluable emotional support.
Share Your Memory of
Philip