Montpelier, VT

Alan Shaw, 76, of Montpelier, passed away on December 23, 2024 following a short stay at Central Vermont Medical Center.

Alan was born in Oakland, California on July 28, 1948. The family lived for several years in Davis, CA, and left California before Alan had finished first grade. In the first of several cross country moves, the family traveled by car to New Orleans in order to embark on a trip by freighter to Puerto Rico. During the voyage, Alan's delight in comic books helped him become a better reader. After the next move, to Pittsburgh, PA, his interest in birds led him to read all the books about birds in the Carnegie Public Library.

Alan was always less interested in formal education than in learning on his own. As a young teen in Charlottesville, VA, he taught himself classical guitar. (Later in life he played the lute.) In Ann Arbor, MI he began a study of Shakespeare and other writers such as William Faulkner. Without completing high school, he was accepted at the University of Michigan after making his case for admission to a well-known philosophy professor there. Alan entered the Classical Studies program, but soon dropped out to continue studying languages on his own. He became proficient in Greek, Latin, Spanish, and Russian. He published poems in poetry reviews such as Grand Street and articles in The Michigan Quarterly literary review, wrote a play called The Ghost Dancers and drafted music for it, and published English translations of several Russian plays.

While in New York City he was a member of The Renaissance Street Singers and in Vermont sang with the Onion River Chorus. Alan supported himself as an editor in a variety of fields, including mathematics, technical Russian, and college textbooks.

His first marriage, to Ariel Jones, ended in an amicable divorce. After moving to New York City, he met and married Anne Zwierzyna. Alan will be remembered for his sweet disposition, his dedication to the arts, and his tender relationship with his special needs son, Max.

He is survived by his wife Anne Shaw, son Max, siblings Rachel Shaw (John Dickson) of Ann Arbor, MI; Sarah Shaw Tatoun (Petr) of Prague, Czech Republic; and Wayne Shaw (Myra) of Upper Marlboro, MD.

As Alan's life became more challenging following a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, the family is grateful for the help of dear friends Peggy Thompson, John Snell, and other community members. A celebration of Alan's life will be planned for spring of 2025.