Henrietta “Hank” Shaw
Henrietta “Hank” Shaw, child of The Great Depression who had a vague sense of motherhood when a mother she barely knew (Eva Gore) died; who kept her love alive first by mothering her younger brothers and then perfecting the art far and wide for the next nine decades; who embraced light and defied darkness with solar energy and seismic force of will; who, as a standout of The Greatest Generation, helped save a world at war; who championed an informed, engaged citizenship, civility, education, healthcare, equality, fairness, liberty and justice for all; whose life of service and sacrifice to family, faith, community and country personified mother love; who survived numerous beloved humans, pampered dogs and two forms of cancer; died peacefully in Campbellsville June 28 after a long, defenseless war of attrition with dementia. She was 98.
Born Henrietta Marie Gore on April 25, 1919, her formative struggles amid a nationwide economic crisis and a family tragedy taught her to not to underestimate the power of love and righteous resistance in the face of injustice. When life wasn’t fair, it wasn’t merely possible to make it right; it was necessary. She seized every opportunity to mitigate outrageous misfortune and compensate for deprivations and inequalities.
She and her husband, Gordon L. Shaw Sr., were young in their marriage when Pearl Harbor was attacked and they answered the call of a patriotic nation amid an existential threat.
They fought exhaustively; he, as a Marine sergeant in the Pacific theater; she, among 44,000 Consolidated Aircraft factory workers in San Diego. Her workforce seized the heavy burden of producing the B-24 Liberator, the long-range, heavy-bomber hero of American and Allied forces. She wrote to him every day the war separated them.
Horrors of war and indignities of discrimination shaped their faith and social activism. While Gordon played trumpet for a band led by jazz violinist Joe Venuti, they traveled the country, witnessing talented musicians of color forced to use separate, lesser amenities.
After the war, veterans of color who fought to save the “free” world were still treated as second-class citizens.
Gordon practiced law in Louisville as they adopted four children and raised funds to build Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church, which became deeply rooted in the social justice and anti-war moments of the 1960s.
They were high-profile, Wendell Ford Democrats whose Derby parties spanned the political spectrum. For nearly a decade, Hank was precinct worker at Norton Elementary School.
Widowed at 52 in 1972, Hank scrambled to provide for her children. She served as assistant to Louisville Pubic Schools Deputy Superintendent Milburn T. Maupin, the first African-American appointed as a central office administrator, until he retired in 1978.
For the next decade, she worked at the merged Jefferson County Public Schools central office, helping thousands of teachers optimize their retirement benefits. Regardless of who said it first, she said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail” most. Her 25-year tenure was extended beyond retirement,when Supt. Don Ingwerson insisted she continue under contract.
She retired to Campbellsville, where she played a key role in rearing her three grandchildren. Her twilight was highlighted by travels to Alaska and to Europe, where Rev, James Jones captured her eye for detail. “You notice things that others overlook,” he said.
One of her other favorite quotes comes from Lincoln’s second inaugural address:
“With malice toward none, with charity for all … let us strive on to finish the work we are in … to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Hers was the soul of strength and resilience; hers was the face of amazing grace in shadows and in light.
She was preceded in death by a husband, Gordon Shaw, Sr.; a son, Gordon “Gordy” Shaw Jr.; a sister, Lucille Bratcher; and a brother, Paul Gore.
She is survived by a brother, James Gore; a daughter, Susan (Eugene) Shively, two sons, Ronald Shaw and Steven Shaw; a son-in-law, John Olinger; three grandchilden, Torie (Michael) Graham, Alex (Christina) Shively and Ashley Shaw; four great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews she rarely saw but dearly loved.
Cremation services provided by Parrott & Ramsey. At Mrs. Shaw’s request, there will be no memorial service. Memorial gifts to tjuc.org or the Bonnie Ford Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund.
