COMMENTARY ON ROBERT SHAW:

It is sad that Bob Shaw left this life at such a young age. 

The Bob Shaw I knew when I was on the Board was smart, handsome, interested in kids, and fun-loving.  He and his best friend James Peters enjoyed their friendship and often cut up like teenagers.

When the new superintendent, Leonard Merrell convened his "Katy Plan" committee, I picked Bob to be on my sub-committee for that effort.  He had lots to say in our discussions, and we all listened to him. He was someone on whom I could depend.

When I resigned from my board position a year early, I thought surely they would pick Bob to fill my spot.

I saw him later at a board meeting, and I asked him, "Did they offer you my position when I left?"  He just shook his head NO.  I thought that strange as he had already given much service to Katy High School and the District. 

In a year or so he ran for the Board against Judy Snyder and lost.  Then he ran again and won. He had to run several times over the years, and the only time it appeared that the District came to his aid was when they thought Fred Hink, a Katy Watchdog, might beat him.  Then they threw their 2,000 votes behind Mr. Shaw.  Otherwise when he ran, he was on his own.  That he won all those other times with no help from the insiders says a lot about him and his loyal followers.

He served 15 years on the Board. 

It was not very nice of the Board to fail to elect him president in all that time.  He could have handled it. Think of the people who have held that position instead.  He was at least smarter than most of them.

Bob always wanted to be important, and his position gave him that chance.

It is a mystery to me why he claimed to be an engineer when he was not.  He didn't need to do that.

I know his family is proud of his service.

I am sorry that he changed his politics over time.  I suppose fifteen years of listening to the hype will do that to a person. I choose to remember him as he was twenty years ago.