W. Frank Shipe

Prof. Frank Shipe, age 88, of 236 Forest Home Drive, passed away Tuesday, May 20, at the Alterra Sterling House in Ithaca.

Prof. Shipe was born March 8, 1920 in Middletown, Virginia, oldest son of W. Frank and Neva B. Shipe. He went to Virginia Polytechnic Institute, now Virginia Tech, graduating in 1941. He entered the Army as a second lieutenant, being among the first troops to arrive in Hawaii after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He saw action in the Gilbert Islands and on Iwo Jima, rising to the rank of major. After the war, he spent a year as an instructor at the Virginia Military Institute.

In 1946, Frank arrived at Cornell, receiving his Ph.D. in Dairy Science in 1949. For almost fifty years he taught and researched the link between food chemistry and the sensory quality of foods. He created the "Food Facts and Fads" course, which became popular campus-wide. A devoted teacher, he is also remembered for mentoring over one hundred masters and Ph.D. students; he received an outstanding teacher award at the American Dairy Science Association convention in 1982.

Not long after arriving in Ithaca, Prof. Shipe met Margery Morris at St. Paul's Methodist Church, and they were married there in 1948, moving into the house he had already purchased in Forest Home. His children and grandchildren all recall his sense of humor and searches for heffalumps, as well his consistent support for all their endeavors. His hospitality, his devotion to guiding young people, his integrity and moral outrage at all injustice have left deep marks on all who knew him. In addition to his work, Prof. Shipe was a very active member of St. Paul's, and after his retirement from Cornell, participated in the leadership of ACT (Area Congregations Together). He also joined others in efforts to combat hunger and foster world peace.

His wife of 59 years, Margery, died in 2007. Prof. Shipe is survived by his daughters Suzanne Ahn (Mike) and Patricia Reardon (Mark), eleven grandchildren and six great-children, one nephew and two grand-nieces and one grand-nephew.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 2:00 PM at St. Paul's United Methodist Church with the Rev. Eunice Tabor officiating, to be followed by a reception in the church. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Prof. Shipe's memory to St. Paul's UMC, 402 N. Aurora St., Ithaca, NY 14850 or American Red Cross, 201 West Clinton St., Ithaca, NY 14850.