Donor Stories
Donald E. Shelton
A circuit judge since 1990, the Hon. Donald E. Shelton is now the presiding judge of the Washtenaw County Trial Court’s Civil/Criminal Division. Previously, he served as chief judge pro tempore of the 22nd Circuit Court from 1992-1995. Shelton has a distinguished record of public service including: serving as a member of the EMU Board of Regents from 1987-1990, serving as mayor of the city of Saline from 1978-1986, and chairing the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) from 1983-1985.
Born in Jackson, Shelton earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in 1966, and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1969. He served as a captain in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1969-1974, earning the Meritorious Service Medal in 1974.
Shelton is the author of several legal texts and has had numerous articles published in professional publications. In 1986, he was given the prestigious “Attorney of the Year” Award by the Washtenaw County Chapter of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, and in 1992, he received that organization’s Justice Blair Moody “Judge of the Year” Award.
A longtime resident of the Saline area, he has served on the city council and as mayor pro tempore, in addition to his term as mayor, and has been active in planning and economic development.
Since serving as regent, Shelton has continued his commitment to and support of Eastern Michigan University. He and his wife, Marjorie, established the Donald E. Shelton Wrestling Endowed Scholarship, are members of the EMU Heritage Society through their bequest designation, and also make generous annual contributions to EMU.
Shelton also volunteers through the EMU Friends of Wrestling and each year hosts a golf outing in support of the wrestling program. Recently, he was honored by the EMU Alumni Association with the Dr. John W. Porter Distinguished Service Award.
The family’s EMU ties span the generations, with Marjorie’s mother, Geraldine Whitman, a 1940 alumna, and with Donald and Marjorie’s son, Gregory, who graduated in 2000.
