Edward Ford Shaw Wilgis ’58

Shaw died Feb. 2, 2025, at the Blakehurst Retirement Community in Towson, Md. He was 88.

“He died in his sleep,” said his wife, Betsy Kane Strobel Wilgis, a retired nurse. “We had 62 magical years together.”

Shaw was recognized for his development of a method of treatment of small vessels of the hand. The procedure is known as the “Wilgis sympathectomy.”

“Shaw was an accomplished hand surgeon who was nationally recognized as the best in the field,” said Dr. James P. Higgins, chief of the Curtis National Hand Center. “Despite his incredible accomplishments he spent most of his efforts helping young surgeons become better physicians.”

In 1987, Shaw became president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and he was later named a “Pioneer of Hand Surgery” by the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand.

Shaw is survived by his wife, Betsy; sons Randolph and Edward; daughter Elizabeth Claire Gonder; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. The class extends its deepest sympathy to them all.