Allen Vaughan Shaw passed away suddenly, October 16, 2024, in Rockville, Maryland. He was born May 19, 1940 at Hale Hospital in Haverhill, Massachusetts, the eldest child of Eugene Kenneth Shaw and Evelyn Frances (Vaughan). He grew up at the family homestead, Number 12 King Street in Groveland and as a teenager worked on a local dairy farm, which he reminisced about frequently. An animal lover from an early age, he raised a Holstein cow named Bobolink, after which his adventures in dairy farming came to a close.
Allen was educated at Williston Northampton School, where he was known as Al Shaw, graduating in 1959. He played varsity football and was a member of the varsity track team, boasting a 4 minute mile and excelled in the 440. Allen also participated in the school glee club, student council, and was sports editor of The Willistonian school paper.
Allen went on to study geology at Tufts University and received his Master’s Degree from Michigan State. He continued his formal education at the University of Arizona, University of Oklahoma, and University of Texas at Dallas.
His career began in oil exploration, working for Conoco in the Western United States. He lived in the Rocky Mountain region for many years before moving to Arizona and then to Texas to work for Sun Exploration. In the early 90s, he moved back to the East Coast and transitioned to environmental geology, working for URS Corporation and Bechtel. Allen stayed active in his field and served as past editor of AEG News, the newsletter for the Association of Engineering Geologists.
During his time in Wyoming, he met Dorsey Winchester and they were married in 1970, becoming an instant family with Dorsey’s children Lynne, Shannon, Casey, and Marty before adding two more daughters, Ryan and Morgan.
At the time of his death, he was living with his companion of 19 years Christine (Tina) Chisena and their kitties, Frank and Lola, in Maryland.
He lived a life of service and spent countless hours volunteering for many organizations, big and small. Allen regularly donated blood earning his 25-gallon pin and beyond. He also donated over 2500 hours of service to The Heard Natural Science Museum in McKinney, Texas, clearing hiking trails and hosting education workshops. More recently, he continued to live out his love of nature by volunteering at Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County, Maryland. Faith was important to Allen and he was dedicated in his service to Grace St Paul’s church in Tucson, Arizona as well as Holy Nativity Church in Plano, Texas. He served as lay reader, vestry member, event organizer, helped build the church playground in Plano, and served on the education board of the Montessori school at Holy Nativity.
Allen generously supported many organizations with monetary donations when he was unable to support them with his time and personal service. He was a faithful friend of the geology department at Tufts, his beloved alma mater, and made it a priority to support the department with a gift each year.
When he wasn’t out and about enjoying this beautiful world and its flora and fauna, many other hobbies and passions occupied his time. Allen was an accomplished baker (his focaccia bread had an informal fan club), chef extraordinaire (his butternut squash soup is a holiday favorite), and singer, his rich baritone voice was a joy to hear (just like his dad’s.) He was also an amateur photographer and an avid birdwatcher, often combining the two activities.
Allen was known to be competitive, an attribute often seen at the bridge table. He was an active member of the American Contract Bridge League, playing in local, district, and national tournaments throughout his life, from Casper, Wyoming, to Tucson, Dallas, and Washington, DC. He achieved the rank of Gold Life Master in the ACBL and won the Open Pairs at the National Capital 4th of July Tournament in 2023 with bridge partner and friend Jerold.
His talents as “Opa” boasted superb baby rocking skills, excellent bedtime story reader (he did all the voices, 10/10), nature walks, and teaching grandchildren how to bake the best treats ever.
Allen is survived by his companion, Tina, his children Marty Shaw (his wife Sandy, children Chris and Holly and their families), Ryan Shaw, Dr. Morgan (Shaw) McCormick (her husband Tim, children Keira and Maeryn), his brother David Shaw ’61 (his wife Janet, children Mark, Todd, Brett and their families), his former wife Dorsey, Lynne Livingston (children Todd and Cody and family), Shannon Smith Gray (husband Ken, children Kyle, Keefe, Kip and families ), Casey Digaetano (children Autumn, Beckon, Cameon, Jadon and families), and many friends that will cherish his memory. His sense of humor, wit, and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes will be greatly missed.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in honor of Allen to Tufts University or to The Heard Museum of Natural History in Texas. Allen’s final gift was to be an organ and tissue donor. Please consider donating blood or becoming an organ donor.