John Shaw passed away on the morning of January 31, 2008, in Houston, Texas. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of forty-one years, Betty Shaw, in 1990; his parents, Herbert and Ada Shaw and his brother, Geoffrey Shaw. He is survived by his sister, Barbara Cahill; his four children, Jennifer Fostel, Peter Shaw (wife Kathie Kelly), Michael Shaw and Stephen Shaw (wife Melissa); his eight grandchildren, Robin Fostel, Lindsey Fostel, Allison Shaw, Julian Kelly, Corrie Shaw, Philip Shaw, Pauline Shaw and Ethan Shaw; niece Prudence Newitt and nephews Nigel and Jeremy Shaw.
A proud native of Sheffield, England, he was educated in Sydney Sussex College, Cambridge University, where he ultimately received his Ph.D. degree. There, he met Elizabeth (Betty) Wroe, whom he married in 1949. They immigrated to Columbus, Ohio, in 1949, where he joined the Physics Department of the Ohio State University. He taught physics and actively performed research in upper atmospheric spectroscopy at OSU until his retirement in 1988. He was one of the first physicists to establish the harmful effects of hydrofluorocarbons on the earth’s ozone layer, including a successful instrument research mission onboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1974. He moved to Durham, North Carolina, in 2004, to be closer to his daughter.
John was a lifelong folk dancer. With Betty, he founded an English Country Dance group in Columbus, Ohio, in 1977, which remains active to this day. John and Betty were also active participants in the Columbus Folk Dancers for over fifty years. In addition, John was an enthusiastic wildflower observer, and collected thousands of wildflower photographs, and maps of their occurrence which he organized extensively. He loved crosswords and word play, and will be remembered for his quick mind and dedication to his family.
A memorial service was be held on, Monday, February 4, 2008, at the St. Cuthbert Episcopal Church, 15330 Willow River Drive, Houston Texas, 77095. Donations may be made to the Country Dance Group of Columbus, c/o Brookside Funeral Home, (281) 345-6061. His cremated remains will be scattered during a memorial celebration of his life later in the year.