Wilfred Byron Shaw (1881–1959) was an American writer and sketch artist.

Early life

He was born in 1881 in

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 7th congressional district. History Adrian was founded on June 18, 1826 by Addison Co ...

, to Byron L. Shaw (1843–1933) and Olive Stockwell (1842–1919). His father's brother was the farmer and artist Horatio Shaw.

Education

Shaw graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1904. He also attended art school in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Career

University administration

Soon after graduation, he was named the general secretary of the Alumni Association (a job he held until 1929) and editor of the Michigan Alumnus. In 1909, he accompanied President Harry Burns Hutchins (and other UM employees) on a trip to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, and

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

, to meet with UM alumni. In 1912, he was part of the committee who approved maize and blue as official University of Michigan colors. In 1913, he helped to organize the Association of Alumni Secretaries. In 1929, he was appointed director of alumni relations, a position that the Regents established for continuing education and other services to graduates. He retired from this position in 1951.

Art

Shaw was a talented sketch artist, often drawing university buildings for inclusion in the

Ann Arbor News ''The Ann Arbor News'' is a newspaper serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. Published daily online through MLive.com, the paper also publishes print editions on Thursdays and Sundays. History Original publication Published in ...

. Sixteen of his drawings are owned by the

University of Michigan Museum of Art The University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan with is one of the largest university art museums in the United States. Built as a war memorial in 1909 for the university's fallen alumni from the Civil War, Alumni Memorial Hall ori ...

. His portrait of

Fred Newton Scott Fred Newton Scott (1860–1931) was an Americans, American writer, educator and rhetorician. Scott received his A.B., A.M, and Ph.D from the University of Michigan. In the preface to ''The New Composition Rhetoric'', Newton Scott states “that ...

is owned by the National Portrait Gallery. He was also known for drawing

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

s of his colleagues. These are currently in storage at the

Bentley Historical Library The Bentley Historical Library is the campus archive for the University of Michigan and is located on the University of Michigan's North Campus in Ann Arbor. It was established in 1935 by the regents of the University of Michigan. Its mission is ...

. He also designed the logo for the University of Michigan's "atomic research center," the "Phoenix Project," in 1948.

Writing

In 1918, Shaw published ''

James Burrill Angell James Burrill Angell (January 7, 1829 – April 1, 1916) was an American educator and diplomat. He is best known for being the longest-serving president of the University of Michigan, from 1871 to 1909. He represented the transition from sma ...

and the University of Michigan''. In 1920, Harcourt, Brace, and Howe published his book ''The University of Michigan'', about the history of the university. In 1934, Shaw founded and served as the first editor of the ''Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review''. In 1936, he published "A Bibliography of the University of Michigan."

Personal life

He married Marion B. Dickinson (1883–1958), and they had two children, Brackley Shaw (1913–1996) and Penelope Shaw (1921–1996).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Wilfred Byron 20th-century American artists 20th-century American historians Historians from Michigan American illustrators University of Michigan alumni 1881 births 1959 deaths People from Adrian, Michigan 20th-century American writers American male writers American male artists Male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male artists Artists from Michigan University of Michigan staff