Rubber Division Member News

J. Reid Shelton - 1983 Goodyear Medalist Dies at Age 96

J. Reid Shelton was born January 16, 1911 in Allerton, Iowa, the third and youngest son of George and Hattie Shelton. He grew up in a rural area characterized by small family farms and received his early education in a one room school house. Despite attending a high school so small that no chemistry course was offered, he won a $20 gold piece for writing a prize-winning paper on the industrial use of corn cobs. He continued on to major in chemistry at the State University of Iowa in Iowa City where he received a B.S. in 1933, an M.S. in 1934, and a Ph.D. in 1936. At the university he sought out the company of math major Leah Brown, whom he had met earlier at the Methodist Student Center. They married in 1934 and then completed their degrees.

In 1936 Reid began his 41 year teaching career in Cleveland, Ohio with Case School of Applied Science, which became Case Institute of Technology, and finally Case Western Reserve University. The teaching position began as a surprise; when he received the job offer at graduation, he found out that his advisor had applied on his behalf! He worked with students at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral level. His research on synthetic rubber was particularly important during WWII when access to natural rubber for tires was cut off by the Axis powers, and the new synthetic rubber made from styrene and butadiene displayed stability problems. With his students, he undertook fundamental studies of the reactions occurring in the oxidation, degradation, and stabilization of rubber and other polymers with support at various times from Firestone, Goodyear, U.S. Army Ordinance Research and other government agencies, and the Petroleum Research Fund. Along with Melvin J. Astle Ph.D. he co-authored the college textbook Organic Chemistry in 1953. He retired from CWRU as Professor Emeritus in 1977. In 1983 he received the Charles Goodyear Award from the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society in recognition of his contributions to the science and technology of rubber.

First with his wife Leah and later on his own, Reid lived at Breckenridge Village in Willoughby. As one of the first residents of the new apartments at Breckenridge North, Reid conceived the idea of a paved recreational walkway connecting the Euclid Ave. and Ridge Rd buildings. The Reid Shelton Pathway was named in his honor.

His constant helpmate for 70 years was his wife Leah. Although Leah embraced her role of fulltime homemaker and mother of three children, her support of his career was invaluable. Using a simple manual typewriter, which had been altered to include special scientific symbol keys, she hand-typed the material for the 1953 textbook. She accompanied him to scientific conferences and acted as gracious hostess to his foreign students. The couple’s concern for each other’s welfare never wavered: Leah waited until the day after Reid’s birthday before she passed away on January 17, 2005. Reid’s passing on December 31, 2007 brought their love story to an end on what would have been their 73rd wedding anniversary.

Reid is survived by three children: Margaret M. Snyder (husband Richard) of Poquoson, VA, James W. (wife Janis) of Willoughby, OH, and Patricia A. (husband Dale) of Kingwood, TX. The extended family includes grandchildren Kevin Smith (wife Csilla), Sondra Workman (husband David), Brian Smith (fiancé LiLian), Trisha Nierode, Mark Nierode (wife Joy), and Melissa Miller (husband Kenneth) as well as 8 great-grandchildren: Nathan, Caleb, Tabitha, and Nicolas Smith; Emma, Matthew and Grace Workman; and Owen Miller.