Dr. Edward Allen Shaw

A TRIBUTE TO EDWARD ALLEN SHAW

Ed was born in Tucson, Arizona, to Armenag (aka Allen) and Zelma Shaw. His father was an Armenian immigrant who became an accomplished mathematics professor at the University of Arizona. He passed away when Ed was six years of age. Consequently, Zelma uprooted Ed and his older sister, Elinor, to her family’s small farm in the San Joaquin Valley.

Despite financial hardship, Ed was able to excel academically as a youth which eventually led him to the campus of U.C. Berkley in 1951. After receiving his Bachelor of Science and M.B.A in Business Administration and Economics, he relocated to Los Angeles for employment at Systems Development Corporation and where he met his future wife of 58 years, Dee Ann. He subsequently earned his Ph.D. in Applied Behavioral Sciences from the Graduate School of Business Management at U.C.L.A. His extensive education facilitated a multi-faceted career in many fields throughout his life including academia as Assistant Vice Chancellor at U.C.L.A. and an educator at San Diego State University, as well as the private sector where he was a successful management consultant in addition to Executive Director and C.E.O. of two non-profit organizations within the medical field.

Ed retired in 2000, allowing him to pursue a myriad of hobbies with relentless zeal. Gardening always had been one of his favorite past times; retirement allowed him to focus much of his time extensively landscaping the backyard of his Laguna Beach home where he resided from 1981 until his passing. Unsatisfied with the physical labor alone, Ed earned his certification as a Master Gardener through the University of California, stimulating an interest in writing columns on gardening topics that he contributed to various agricultural newsletters, including Garden Thymes here in Orange County. A new-found joy of writing broadened into short essays on fiction, non-fiction, and biographical essays, many being composed as a proud member of his Writer’s Workshop in Laguna Beach. A number of his pieces were selected by various on-line and printed literary magazines, with the culmination of his literary efforts being the book entitled “That’s Life,” published a few months shy of his 90th birthday.

Ed was every bit a renaissance man. In addition to his broad knowledge on various topics, he was a collector of elegant fountain pens and fine wine, particularly from the Bordeaux. He and Dee Ann together enjoyed operas and classical music concerts, boasting endurance of the entire 15 hours of Wagner’s Ring Cycle as the epitome of their appreciation for the music genre. Ed held an immense love for film and its history, particularly the Golden Age of Cinema. One of his favorite indulgences was partaking in the occasional cigar while admiring the ocean from the deck of his home. He passed away on March 02, 2024, with his entire family at his side. He will be remembered for his love of family, extensive knowledge of a great many things, a fervent desire toward all of his various endeavors and an unquenchable lust for life.

Ed is survived by his wife, Dee Ann, his two daughters, Leslie Sigesmund (Marshall) and Andrea Rogers (Jonathan), and his two grandsons, Mitchell and Grant Sigesmund.

A visitation for Edward will be held Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 10:00 AM at Pacific View Legacy Chapel, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, CA 92625. A chapel service with graveside to follow will occur Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 11:00 AM, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, CA 92625. A catered reception to conclude will occur Sunday, March 17, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.