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Remembering Don Shaw: 1936 — 2021

October 20, 2021

 

Don Shaw '59, '60 (M.A.) — alumnus, professor, eminent communication historian and theorist, retired U.S. Army Reserve officer and writer — passed away Oct. 19, 2021. Shaw taught at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media for 46 years. He was the Kenan Professor Emeritus at the school.

Shaw was a visiting professor at six other universities and lectured at more than 20 universities in the United States and abroad.

As a scholar, he was best known for his pioneering work with Max McCombs of the University of Texas about the agenda-setting function of the press, and for his studies of 19th- and 20th-century American and Southern press history. He was the author or co-author of 10 books and many scholarly articles and papers.

“Not only was Don Shaw one of our best-known scholars, he was one who personified the joy of research,” said Susan King, dean of UNC Hussman. “Years after retirement, Don was still writing articles with Ph.D. students who came from around the world to meet the man behind the agenda-setting theory. He would lay out his findings with young acolytes and format an article with a smile on his face. The scholarship was not work, but the personification of his agile mind and the proof of his commitment to better understand communications and media and their influence on society. He was simply a giant.”

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 13, at Center United Methodist Church, 9204 Center Church Road, Snow Camp, N.C. 27349. A visitation will be held 11:45 a.m. — 12:45 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall, followed by the service at 1 p.m.

The family requests any memorials be made to the Don Shaw Fund at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

Read Shaw's obituary in his hometown newspaper The Mountaineer.

Listen to an in-depth interview with Shaw by 2013 graduate, Chesley Kalnen.

Former students and colleauges have been moved to share their memories and thoughts about Don. Please send your own to sky@unc.edu:

 

Don was respected as a scholar and original thinker literally around the world.  He lectured at conferences and universities in country after country.  His ideas prompted countless studies by other professors and students.   But I’ll always think of Don as a man who helped folks.  He reached out to junior faculty members who weren’t publishing enough and turned them on to new research and writing, often asking them to join him as a co-author.  He inspired Ph.D. student after Ph.D. student who wouldn’t have received the degree without him.  They all love him.

Dean Emeritus Richard Cole

 

Don Shaw recruited me to be an associate editor of what was then Journalism Quarterly. I was an assistant professor at a small women’s college, but he was interested in my work which, as he put it, had an “American Studies” perspective. I was delighted to accept his invitation. Later, when I succeeded him as editor, he picked me up at the airport in his tiny car. He had forgotten to make a hotel reservation until the last minute, for which he profusely apologized, and I stayed at a motel that had no restaurant, not even morning coffee. It was typical of Don, whose mind quickly processed a variety of ideas, a mind too busy to worry about mundane details. When I went to Carolina as Dean, he got a kick out of calling me Dean, and would often poke his head in my office to say hello. He was a kind person and loved working with young scholars. He will be missed by many, but many of us will always have fond memories of his generous spirit.

Former Dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jean Folkerts

 

Journalism and communication research as a field has many “greats,” but Donald Lewis Shaw was among the most “complete” of all. 

Brimming with creativity, Shaw spun ideas for research constantly, engaging eye-to-eye in a way that made one feel that even though Don was on the intellectual “mountain top,” he thought you were too.  And he always spoke with warm respect for his UNC colleagues and students and the many scholars he knew around the world.

Personal memories of him are of comfort as we grieve his death.  A highlight for me is an excursion to the Eiffel Tower with him during a break from a conference in Paris,1982. We shared our love for opera, especially Wagner, and made plans to travel to the Bayreuth Festival some day.  Alas, we never realized that dream, but when I mentioned Wagner in a speech at an event honoring Donald, it brought an unforgettable smile.

At the 50th Anniversary of the UNC doctoral program in communication research five years ago, Donald Shaw’s career also was celebrated. Emeritus dean Richard Cole of the J-School called him the “Cardinal” of agenda-setting theory and research, second only to his collaborator Maxwell McCombs of the University of Texas, whom he called the “Pope.”  McCombs, who also was at the event to honor Shaw, made sure we all understood that Don was “Cardinal” only because there could be just one “Pope.”

And a very special “Cardinal” he was.  So much more than an acclaimed scholar and teacher, Donald Shaw was a “prince” of a man. And it’s not just autographed books by him that are in my office.  A treasure there is a poem he wrote for me and my late-wife, Frances. 

Although Don enjoyed Wagner, his poetry was more like Verdi, whose popular opera, Nabucco, has an anthem, “Va Pensiero,” that is a masterpiece. Its opening lyrics are a perfect epitaph for Don:

“Fly, thoughts, on wings of gold.”

Donald Lewis Shaw’s thoughts certainly will continue “flying on golden wings” in many scholarly books, poetry and in the memories of those of us who loved him.

Cleve Wilhoit ’67 (Ph.D)

 

Dr. Shaw was an extraordinary person. Despite his international fame, he was the most accessible, caring, humble and generous scholar I’ve ever met. He never lost his curiosity or drive for ideas and research. It’s hard to think of Chapel Hill without him. And his love for UNC was unmatched.

Brad Hamm ’96 (Ph.D.)

 

I remember Don Shaw for his generosity toward new faculty members. Richard Cole and I joined the faculty in 1971, shortly after Don and Max McCombs had published their first agenda-setting study, and they invited us to join their research team. It was pretty heady stuff for a brand-new faculty member to be treated as an equal by two of the giants of mass communication research.

Don called me one night around nine o’clock and said that he wanted to talk to me about a research idea. It could not wait until the next day, he said, so he insisted on coming to my house to tell me about it. Yes, it may have been unusual to get such a call at night, but it illustrated how Don thought of an idea on the spur of the moment and wanted to share it. He was stymied that night because he didn’t have a chalkboard to diagram his idea. I don’t recall the topic, and we did not pursue it because Don probably moved on to something else. I’ve sometimes wondered if it might have been as important as agenda-setting and if I missed out on something important.

Don knew how to cut and paste before he could perform that function on a computer, and he demonstrated it when I asked him to review the manuscript for my book about the history of journalism at Carolina. He had cut some of the pages and rearranged paragraphs and glued them together in a new way. I always considered Don a “professional” historian, and I was humbled and gratified when he complimented me on the book.

He gave me a unique perspective as I was researching the book. He was the last living person who had experienced the School of Journalism when it was in Bynum Hall, and he and I walked through the third floor of Bynum one day as he described what the scene had been like. It was cluttered, he said, it looked and sounded like an old newspaper office with chalk, dust, rulers and clanking typewriters – similar to the newsrooms that graduates would find when they went to work for a newspaper.

I will long remember Don Shaw as a mentor, colleague and friend.

Professor Emeritus Tom Bowers

 

He served on my Ph.D. grad committee. He conversed with my own Ohio grad students when we studied agenda setting. Fast forward some 40 years when we, both widowed, reconnected.  Sometimes Don made me laugh so hard my face hurt, but alternatively his generosity constantly humbled me. Achingly miss you, colonel.

Anne Cooper-Chen '84  (Ph.D.)

 

One day I came back from Mizzou to see Don in Chapel Hill. I posed him a problem about my book draft, drawn from my dissertation on whose committee he served. “Let’s print out some of the manuscript and go see Joel.” Joel Williamson, Parkman Prize winner and twice a Pulitzer history finalist, also had served on my committee. Off we went to Joel’s, near campus on Hillsborough Road. Before us on the living room rug, Don spread out the pages. Then the classic Don Shaw magic of cut-and-paste started happening: paragraphs, sentences, words, ideas big and small were moved around as the three of us talked; my memory now, with great affection says, the immediate problems were resolved. Don was the most pragmatic, helpful scholar I’ve ever known.

Berkley Hudson ’03 (Ph.D.),  Missouri School of Journalism Emeritus Associate Professor

 

Don Shaw was more than brilliant; he was kind. It remains so striking to me that this world-renowned scholar would make self-deprecating jokes about himself and life in the ivory tower. It was such an amazing contrast to a world where self-importance can often dominate priorities and obscure the real mission.

I have always been grateful for the attention he gave me—a young advertising practitioner from Chicago—in my first years as I tried to understand the curious world of academia and find my way. I remember lunches on Franklin Street just chatting about small things that led to useful insights for a 20-something just getting started.

My final moment with Don was a short time ago when I saw Don briefly in the Freedom Forum. He was now in his 80s but still working and thinking about scholarship. We agreed to catch up at lunch sometime but it never happened. And, yes, Don ventured one of his witty comments and smiled.

It is a memory I will treasure.

John Sweeney, Director of Advertising and Public Relations, Distinguished Professor in Sports Communication

 

I worked in the journalism school for 21 years and took minutes at the faculty meetings.  Sometimes a discussion about curriculum, school policy changes, or whatever would go on for 10, 15 or 20 minutes and I would look at Don and could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He would then quietly weigh in, and in a sentence or two concisely summarize or clarify the matter at hand. He never ceased to amaze me with his ability to get right to the heart of the matter. He was, truly, a Carolina priceless gem.

Jo Bass, former assistant to Dean Emeritus Richard Cole

 

Professor Don Shaw was the quintessential academic; bottomless intellectual depth, soaring curiosity, and genuine respect for fellow faculty and students. We all have our favorite Don Shaw stories and they will bring back fond memories as we remember him. I was fortunate to have him as a mentor and dissertation adviser at the J-school and, most importantly, as a friend later. Thank you Don.

Shailendra Ghorpade '83 (Ph.D.)

 

I will miss his smile and his visits to the library. I think about his agenda setting research a lot in these days of fractured media – and have been wondering how he would apply his theory in the face of social media, podcasts, newsletters – in addition to our more traditional news media. I’m so sad that I won’t get to hear his thoughts about the matter.May he rest in peace.

Stephanie Willen Brown, Park Librarian