Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/27/20
Betty (Shelly) Shellenberger’s Amazing Life will be celebrated and honored on Sunday, April 5 at 2 p.m. at the Agnes Irwin School at 275 S. Ithan Rd., Bryn Mawr, PA – the place where it all began some nine decades ago.
Betty, 98, of Blue Bell, passed away Dec. 30. She was a pioneer in the sports of field hockey and lacrosse, as a player, coach and umpire, and a member of seven Halls of Fame.
Betty, known to friends as “Shelly” and born in her Germantown home, was one of the first Philly girls to get introduced to the sport of lacrosse, in 1933 as a middle schooler at Agnes Irwin School.
The list of Betty’s athletic and leadership accomplishments is endless. Some of her major honors:
*Inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (1986)
*Inducted as part of the Inaugural Class of the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame (1988)
*Inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1994)
*Inducted into the Eastern PA Chapter of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1998)
*Inducted into the Agnes Irwin School Athletic Hall of Fame (2005)
*Inducted into Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, (2009)
*Inducted into Chestnut Hill College Hall of Fame (2011)
Also:
* She was a member of the USA Field Hockey National team (1939-41, 1946-55, 1960); Her 17 years on the national team (some as a reserve) is the longest in USA Field Hockey history
* She was an 11-year member of the USA National Lacrosse Team
* Betty also became a two-time National Seniors Squash champion, playing out of the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
She stopped competing in sports in in the 1960s, and took key leadership roles in field hockey and lacrosse while continuing to coach and referee many sports, such as field hockey, lacrosse, track and field and swimming. As a field hockey umpire, Betty served on the International Rules Committee and officiated in International competitions.
Teaching, umpiring and rating other officials up the tournament ladder, earned Betty several awards and accolades, including the Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania, which recognizes rare individuals that excel in athletics and historical preservation. Betty earned that honor after co-founding Historic Germantown.
Click here for the full story honoring her life.
An announcement on an endowed fund in her name will be made in coming weeks.
