Dr. John Allen Shelnutt

Age 68, of Watkinsville, GA, passed away on July 12, 2014, at Emory University Hospice, Atlanta. He was born March 9, 1946 in Bremen, GA to the late Zettie Mae Shackleford and George Washington Shelnutt. Following graduation from Bremen High School, Dr. Shelnutt attended Georgia Tech where he earned B.S. (1968) and M.S. (1971) degrees in Physics. While serving at the Naval Surface Weapons Center and after returning to Georgia Tech to complete his PhD in 1975, he developed a new way of interpreting vibrational spectroscopy data produced by Raman scattering. This work led him to Bell Laboratories in New Jersey where he pioneered research that he would use for the remainder of his career. In 1979, Dr. Shelnutt moved to Albuquerque, NM to work at Sandia National Laboratories where he enjoyed a long career that included groundbreaking work on porphyrins (a group of pigments found in hemes and chlorophylls) for which he was internationally known. He was honored for his contributions to the field on his 65th birthday with a dedicated issue of the Journal of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines. Dr. Shelnutt was also a leader in nanotechnology; in 2009, his research on nanoscale materials was the basis for a Research & Development 100 Award. Dr. Shelnutt retired from Sandia as a distinguished member of the technical staff having authored over 200 impactful peer-reviewed scientific papers, numerous book chapters, and many patents. Additionally, he served for many years on the faculty of the University of New Mexico and for the past 10 years was an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia. Dr. Shelnutt is survived by his wife of 17 years, Yan Qui of Watkinsville; two sons, Julian Yaoting Shelnutt, Watkinsville, and Dr. Judson (Ellen McClain)Shelnutt, Athens, GA (son of his first wife, Rebecca Ann Coley) and Watkinsville; a sister, May Kay Shelnutt, Florida; five grandchildren, Anna Shelnutt Hall, Jonathan McClain Shelnutt, Claire Elizabeth Shelnutt, Camille Juliet Shelnutt and Hope Moriah Shelnutt, all of Athens; aunts, nieces, nephews and numerous cousins. He was predeceased by a sister, Linda Gail Walton, and her husband, Kenneth Walton. Dr. Shelnutt was a gentle and loving father and husband, a loyal friend and exceptional colleague, and an outstanding mentor to his students. He was also a disciplined and very accomplished athlete, first with the Southwest Ballet in New Mexico and later in the martial arts technique of Chinese Wushu. A Memorial Celebration will be Saturday, August 2, 2014, 3:00 p.m. at FRENCH - Lomas. Messages of condolence can be sent to the family at Jshelnutt@gmail.com.

Dr. John Allen Shelnutt

March 9, 1946 - July 12, 2014