June 30, 2026
By Tracie Troha
The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering is mourning the loss of Sam Shelton, a Georgia Tech alumnus, longtime mechanical engineering professor, and pioneering energy researcher best known for designing the torch for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Shelton died on June 20 from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 87.
Shelton earned both his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1961 and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1969 from Georgia Tech before joining the faculty, where he spent 35 years teaching generations of engineers. Throughout his career, he challenged students to solve real-world problems with practical, cost-effective solutions and later reached thousands more through Energy 101, one of Georgia Tech's first massive open online courses.
A nationally recognized energy expert, Shelton founded the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute, bringing together researchers from across disciplines to develop technologies addressing national and regional energy challenges. His research focused on developing and commercializing sustainable energy technologies, earning more than $30 million in research funding and resulting in eight patents. He also founded two companies dedicated to developing, manufacturing, and marketing energy-efficient products. In the 1980s, Shelton helped pioneer solar energy technologies and the assessment of offshore wind farms.
"Sam and I were both energy guys, and we spent many hours talking and brainstorming about energy education, policy, and technical systems," said Tim Lieuwen, executive vice president for Research and Regents' Professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. "He was a wonderful colleague, mentor, and friend whose enthusiasm and wisdom left a lasting impression on so many of us."
While Shelton made lasting contributions to energy research, he’s best known for engineering one of the most recognizable symbols of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
In 1994, he was selected to lead the team responsible for designing and engineering the relay torch for the Olympic flame. Shelton's team was tasked with creating a torch that would reliably carry the flame across approximately 15,000 miles and through every imaginable weather condition while producing more than 17,000 identical torches for relay runners.
"The primary requirement for the torch was that it could carry the flame and not go out. Wind, rain, snow, sleet ... no matter what," Shelton said in a 2016 Georgia Tech interview.
To ensure it worked, Shelton and his team tested the torch in extreme conditions, carrying it to the summit of Pikes Peak, riding with it on horseback and, memorably, taking it into the shower.
After the success of the Atlanta Games, Shelton led the torch design team for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and advised teams for the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, and 2006 Torino Games.
For Shelton, the torch represented more than an engineering achievement.
"The Olympics represented world peace, mankind coming together, and overcoming adversity," he said in 2016. "It was an amazing event to think about, to witness, to live through, and be a part of helping to create it.
Shelton is survived by his daughters, Suzie and Stacy; three granddaughters; and many loved ones. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sharon.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 1 p.m. at The 57th Fighter Group Restaurant in Atlanta. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Roll Call, Georgia Tech's Fund for Excellence, in Shelton's memory. Click here to donate.