It is with great sadness that I share the news of the
passing of Spencer Shaw, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington
Information School.
Spencer Shaw was President of the Association for Library
Service to Children from 1975-76 and recipient of the ALSC Distinguished
Service Award in 1998. Below is the tribute from the University of Washington
to Professor Emeritus Shaw. His contributions to the world of children's
librarianship, storytelling, and literature will live on.
Published: 6/17/2010
Today the iSchool and UW community mourns the loss
of nationally and internationally known librarian, storyteller, and educator
Professor Emeritus Spencer G. Shaw. Spencer passed away on June 16. He was 93
years old.
Books and reading were important parts of his early
family life, and so was the Northwest Branch of the public library in his
native Hartford. He shared his love of libraries, service and community during
a nearly seven-decade career as a public librarian, educator and world-renowned
expert on storytelling and library service to children. The American Library
Association called him an "authentic and forthright spokesperson for
children and youth librarians, contributing enormously in motivating and
guiding the nation’s youth."
"This is a very sad loss for the iSchool, and
for anyone who cared deeply about the role that libraries and librarians play
in the lives of youth," said UW Information School Dean and Professor
Harry Bruce. "The qualities that made Spencer so beloved — his
charm, generosity of spirit, wit and humor — were a powerful complement
to his passion for inclusiveness and service to all of our youth. These
qualities will be deeply missed."
Shaw was the inspiration for and driving force
behind the Spencer G. Shaw Lecture Series, established in his honor when he
retired in 1986 after 17 years on the UW faculty. Every year, a leading figure
in children's literature comes to the UW campus to speak to students,
librarians, teachers and parents. Famed authors and illustrators such as Tom
Feelings, Maurice Sendak, Ashley Bryan, Margaret Mahy, Gary Soto, Laurence Yep,
Theodore Taylor, Susan Cooper, Katherine Paterson, Milton Meltzer and Jerry
Pinkney have participated. Recent authors have included Walter Dean Myers,
Gerald McDermott and Patricia McKissack. Most participate at a fraction of
their speaker’s fees — a tribute to the irresistible charm of
Spencer Shaw and their enormous respect for him.
"It has been a humbling experience to have
your colleagues recognize you for the work you have tried to do advancing
services to children and youth," Spencer said in a recent interview.
"When [the lecture series] was announced, I was amazed and also, I must
say, it has been a fitting tribute to what I have tried to do in my career as a
professional librarian."
Spencer Shaw grew up during the Depression in a
predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Hartford, Connecticut, and was the only
African-American student in his grammar and high school classes. His father,
who worked in the Hartford National Bank & Trust Co., was actively involved
in community affairs. His mother, a homemaker, was approached by the chief
executive officer of Hartford’s G. Fox and Company department store in
the 1950s to serve as a consultant to the personnel department in training its
minority employees for better positions as salespersons, section managers and
buyers. Spencer was one of seven siblings.
"The passing of Spencer Shaw is devastating
news to me," said iSchool Cleary Professor of Children and Youth Services
Eliza Dresang. "I knew Spencer Shaw for many years through our association
with the University of Wisconsin, and I had renewed that friendship since my
arrival at the UW iSchool. I feel very fortunate about that.
"Spencer Shaw leaves a wonderful heritage for
generations to come with his keen understanding of children, his advocacy for
inclusion of all cultures in books for youth, and his magnificent storytelling,
which he firmly believed was for people of all ages. We’re fortunate to
have Professor Emeritus Shaw’s papers from 1949 – 2001, including
radio broadcasts, storytelling programs, and his personal library, in the
University of Washington Special Collections. This speaks to a portion of his legacy."
The iSchool is gathering people’s reflections
on the life of Spencer, to be posted online for others to read and share. If
you would like to share your memories, please email them to [log in to unmask]. They will become part of a
memorial website in Spencer’s honor.
____
Eliza T. Dresang
Beverly Cleary Professor for Children and Youth
Services
Information School, University of Washington
Mary Gates Hall Box 352840
Seattle, WA 98195-2840