Richard Schelp's Obituary
Richard H. Schelp, Phd., 74, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died at his Memphis home on Nov. 29 after a long illness. He was born in Kansas City, MO, to Herbert and Ida Stuerke Schelp, who predeceased him. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Central Missouri and his master’s degree and doctorate in mathematics from Kansas State University. He was an associate mathematician and missile scientist at Johns Hopkins University for five years, an instructor of mathematics at Kansas State University for four years and a professor of mathematics at the University of Memphis from 1970 until his retirement in 2001. As professor emeritus, he continued to remain an active mathematics researcher, publishing an additional 40 papers after his retirement. He was an invited lecturer at the Kracow Conference on Graph Theory in Poland in September of this year. During his career, he published more than 170 research articles in national and international journals, including more than 40 with Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos. He lectured at international conferences and major universities, including the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and Cambridge University in England. He was recipient of the Board of Visitors Eminent Faculty Award at the University of Memphis in 2001, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the mathematics department of Kansas State University in 2000, the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Research Award in the Natural and Mathematical Sciences in 2000 and the College of Arts and Sciences Meritorious Faculty Award in 1996. He was co-recipient of the University Distinguished Research Award in 1978. Between 1985 and 2008, he received four grants to do mathematical research in Hungary and France. He also was co-managing editor for the Journal of Graph Theory from 1981-1986 and continued to serve on its editorial board. He was listed in Who’s Who in America for 20 years and was added to Who’s Who in the World in 2010. He was a lifelong member of the Lutheran church and a Sunday School teacher, and as a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Memphis, served as an elder, sang in the choir and was a member of the church’s parochial school board. He was trained as a Stephen Minister. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a sister, Joann Schelp. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Billie; his sister, Carol Twaddle; his daughter, Lisa Martin; his son, Richard J. Schelp; and his seven grandchildren: Will, Sam and Rebecca Martin; Peyton, Carson and Chandler Schelp and Alex Suddoth. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church, with a visitation from11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to Christ the King Lutheran Church, 5296 Park Ave., Memphis, TN, 38119; the American Cancer Society, 1378 Union Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104; or a charity of the donor’s choice. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, (901)767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall”.
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