a model life Jerry Shaw ’48
Stan Gedney ’48 has long admired the meticulous work of his classmate Jerry Shaw, a Korean War veteran who worked with couture fashion houses, but whose passion lies in building model ships.
J
erry Shaw and I went to Williston together many years ago. We didn’t spend too much time together because he lived on the new campus and I lived on the old. We were teammates on the great basketball team that won 13 games in a row and lost the 14th to end the season. Jerry and I got together many years later. It was a pleasure to see him again and meet his lovely wife, Sydelle. It was then that I got to see the results of the hobby that he had begun many years before. This hobby has impressed me, and shortly, will impress you. Jerry makes models—fantastic models. He designs and creates every piece of these models. The United States Navy was so impressed that they have made sure that all the naval models he builds shall find a home at the United States Naval Museum. Take a good look at how Jerry has accomplished so much with his life, and hobby, since leaving Williston. I hope you enjoy this story about a Class of ’48 Sammy who
32 williston northampton school
has made a permanent mark on this country. Great job, Jerry! We are proud of you. —Stan Gedney ’48 In His Own Words
I started building things from shirt cardboard when I was seven. Every model was a little more intricate than the last. After World War II, you could buy small D.C. motors and surplus metal gears. This opened a whole new world for me, because I could suddenly mechanize models. My first mechanized project was a four-foot model of the DD 668 (the same ship I served on during my Navy career). It had 12 motors and could sail in a pond. The model took two years to make. Next came a nine-foot model of the Battleship Missouri BB 63, which has 30 motors — including all the guns, radars, props, rudders, and a working crane. That project took six and a half years. I then built a 12-foot scale model of the first Super Aircraft Carrier USS Forrestal CV 59. The carrier took 14 years to build and has 80 motors. There are working elevators, tractors that pull planes, five radars, two crane anchors, and bomb elevators. It has 90 aircraft, each made by hand to scale, and light systems.