Thomas N.F. Shaw ’47

Tom returned to Old Nassau in 1946 after three years in the Army, including service in the Burma-China theater. His rewarding Princeton education (completed in 1949), coupled with a Columbia master's degree and marriage to Peggy Wolfe in 1950, prepared him for a long, fruitful career as a headmaster of many schools.

Early on, as a teacher, Tom realized that for him education was a form of "ministry." He became an Episcopal priest in 1957 and, over many years, led church schools, first in New Orleans (where he initiated an "inter-racial program" — a sensitive project in those days), and then in Florida, Massachusetts, Virginia, and finally Bethesda, Md.

Retiring in 1989, he moved to Wilmington, N.C., where he morphed into a disc jockey at a classical radio station and skipper of the local Coast Guard Auxiliary Squadron. Sadly, Peggy's death in 1992 cast a shadow over these golden years.

Tom cherished Princeton and yearned to attend '47 reunions, which, alas, always coincided with his high school graduation obligations until our 50th.

He died April 27, 2007. Along with our appreciation of his dedicated life of service, we send warm wishes to his family.