Page 58 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2021- Online Magazine

the side of a big wave, and the I worked at different Mobay
back would come up, bending Chemical plants for 27 years.
some of the propellers. The One was near New Martinsville,
joint in the middle of the ship West Virginia, where I built our
tried to separate, and we did home. We moved to the border of
some beating on that joint a national park, to a place called
with a sledgehammer to keep ‘Slim Chance Mountain’. I built a
it together, or the ship might four bedroom, three-bath house,
have broken in half!” and we lived there for 17 years.
We had three sons, but one died
With his ship in drydock in shortly after birth. We somehow
San Diego, Shaw spent the put both our other boys, Robert
remainder of his time in the and Dennis, through college.
Navy doing maintenance. Dennis died in 2008 at age 50. His
“We had ships to paint older brother was a Texas Tech
and re-paint, checking all professor for 36 years.”
the watertight hatches, fire
extinguishers and the like.” Robert’s daughter-in-law,
Laverne, says, “He must be doing
Robert had met Betty in a something all the time. He learned
small Arkansas town before to play the guitar at South Plains
he went into College from John Hartin and even
the service, and tried the piano. He just painted the
they had kept garage floor. He can fix anything.”
in touch. They
married in Robert’s wife Betty passed away
June 1947. He in 2010 after 63 years of marriage.
went to work He has now “been seeing a lovely
in the oilfield lady for 12 years.” He also went on
in Bartlesville, the 2016 Texas South Plains Honor
Oklahoma for Flight and enjoyed seeing all the
a time and memorials and museums. Looking
then worked back on his life, Robert said he
for Bussman would like to be remembered for
& Pathridge, “doing my duty and always doing
who had oil the right thing.” His memories
leases. “I ran of the Navy may have been
one in Kansas. characterized as explosive but,
Later, I joined as Robert Shaw approaches his
Local Union 83 93rd birthday, he is the epitome
in Wheeling, of stable, dependable, and hard-
West Virginia working. His mama would be
and started proud.
pipefitting in
1951 for different
contractors.

58 Lubbock Senior Link