History & Namesake

"Find the gift God gave you. Sharpen, hone, and train it. And, then go use it. Go!"

- Donald P. Shiley '51

Donald and Darlene Shiley

Donald Shiley's dedication to University of Portland was born decades ago when he became one of the first to study in the gleaming new Engineering Hall. Here on The Bluff, he was a superb student, finishing first in his class. Upon his graduation in 1951, he went to work with Oregon engineer and inventor, Lowell Edwards - a job that brought the vast skills of Donald Shiley to bear on the million problems of medical engineering.

By 1955, he was a master engineer itching to work for himself. He started the Shiley Company and in 1971 brought to market the first tilting disk heart valve. The Shiley Company sent these valves to hearts across the globe, saving thousands of lives.

After he and his wife Darlene sold the Shiley Company, they focused on philanthropic pursuits. Their generosity and commitment to University of Portland kindled tremendous growth for the engineering program. In 2007, they made a significant benefaction in support of the renovation of the now-named Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering. After Donald's passing in 2010, Darlene made another landmark gift to endow the Shiley School of Engineering.

Today, Darlene Marcos Shiley continues the philanthropic journey she started with her late husband. President of the Shiley Foundation and a member of University of Portland's Board of Regents, she has become a legendary benefactor of the arts, medical research, and education in her own right. Her lead gift to the Shiley-Marcos Center for Design & Innovation builds on her husband's legacy. It secures a future in everything he stood for - collaboration across disciplines that hones one's gifts and changes the world for the better.