Donald McMillan Shaw, AIA – 50th Reunion Essay

Donald McMillan Shaw, AIA

41-949 Laumilo Street

Waimanalo, HI 96795

DonShawAIA@mac.com

808-295-7429

Spouse(s): Janice Katherine Friend, MD (1983)

Child(ren): Amanda Friend Shaw, PhD (1983)

Education: Univ. of Oregon (B.Arch, 1976); UC Berkeley & MIT (Certificates in Airport Planning and Design)

Career: Architecture / Planning / Research / Education

Avocations: Family and friends

College: Saybrook

For the past 30-plus years, I’ve lived on Waimanalo Beach, which is located on Oahu’s Windward Coast, with my wife Jan (aka Janice Friend, MD). Our daughter, Amanda, just graduated from the London School of Economics, where her PhD focused on economic development for women.

My wife and I had adjoining offices in nearby Kailua, overlooking the beach where President Obama stays on vacations. We met in San Francisco, where she was doing her residency in psychiatry at UCSF and Stanford, and I had done my architectural internship. After our daughter was born, we moved first to Palo Alto and then to Hawaii, where we’ve been ever since.

My wife and I recently retired from practice. I enjoyed my work in architecture and planning, which over the years has included the design of airports, hotels, and houses in a wide variety of locations, in addition to teaching architecture.

Looking back to the time when I started at Yale, I realize that there are many dreams unrealized, but that I have been blessed in love, family, friends, and life in ways that I could not have imagined.