My boss and mentor at Southern Bell, Jasper Dorsey, taught me a lot about the business world. He also taught me a lot about the world beyond business. One of his precepts was that we have an obligation to leave this a better world than we found it. Otherwise, we have just taken up time and space and wasted a life.
Those wise words came to mind last week at the going-home service for my friend, Bob Shaw of Sandy Springs. His was a life well lived over his 95 years on this planet and he certainly made this a better world by his presence in it. How so? Let me count the ways.
Bob Shaw was first and foremost a family man. He married his sweetheart, Elaine Smith, ran a prosperous insurance business and raised four daughters, one of whom predeceased him. His wife died in 2016. Along with his daughters, he is survived by 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The love and respect of his family was evident at his service. His grandchildren related their experiences with “Big Daddy” that were both poignant and humorous. Undergirding it all was a sense of great respect that a very important person was never too important to be their grandfather and their friend.
Bob Shaw was the godfather of the Republican Party in Georgia. He was chairman of the state GOP when they could have held their convention in a phone booth. He encouraged folks like Johnny Isakson, Paul Coverdell and Newt Gingrich to get into the political arena. He also served as vice chairman of the Republican National Committee alongside George H.W. Bush.
Walking into Bob Shaw’s home in suburban Atlanta was like walking into a piece of Republican Party history. On the wall of his study were pictures of him with the Who’s Who of the GOP: Barry Goldwater. Richard Nixon. James Baker. Gerald Ford. Newt Gingrich. George H.W. Bush. Ronald…
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