Contact: Sammy McDavid
Ceremonies officially dedicating a roadway that serves Mississippi State's original "fraternity row" will be held Sept. 17.
At a 2 p.m. public program in the Colvard Union third-floor art lounge, the university will honor one of its most famous former teachers with the naming of the Clyde Quitman Sheely Circle. A reception follows.
Sheely, who died in 1983 at age 79, was the first to receive the MSU Alumni Association's Faculty Award for Outstanding Classroom Teaching. An active researcher, he held five patents for chemical and technical processes and wrote more than 20 scientific papers.
President Malcolm Portera and Vice President for Student Affairs Roy H. Ruby will be joined at the dedication program by Robert Sheely of Madison, the late professor's son. Also speaking will be Lyell C. Behr, dean emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences.
A Rankin County native and Pelahatchie High School graduate, Sheely taught chemistry from 1929 until his retirement in 1970. He also served for many years as the supervisor of the College of Arts and Sciences' general chemistry program.
In addition to faculty duties, Sheely was alumni adviser for the campus chapter of Kappa Sigma social fraternity, where he was a charter member and recipient of its highest honor.
For more than a quarter century, Sheely led the MSU commencement procession as grand marshal.
Sheely Circle serves nine of the 12 on-campus fraternity houses. Its entrance/exit points are accessible from Bully Boulevard, the major thoroughfare from the Five Points intersection near Scott Field to its merger with the state Highway 12 bypass, and from the Russell Street entrance to campus.
In early March, MSU dedicated a nearby roadway for the newest fraternity and sorority houses. That thoroughfare was named for former vice president Robert L. Jones, who is largely credited with organizing the Division of Student Affairs into a highly structured organization capable of serving the major needs of those enrolled at the state's largest university.
For more information on the Sheely dedication, telephone (662) 325-3045.