Dorothy
Rowe Shaw, ASH
Mrs. Hudson
April 29, 1924 ‑
November 24, 1999
by Dorothy K. Stix
Dorothy was born in
New York State and raised both in New York and Florida. She had fond memories of
New York and made quite a few visits back to her home state.
In May of 1969, she
married John Bennett Shaw. It was the second marriage for both of them, and they
took two of Dorothy's daughters on the honeymoon. Apparently the trip turned
into a great family vacation.
But then family was
what Dorothy was really all about. She had five children, and John had three.
They turned the whole menage into one happy family. She was a great mom who
loved and cared about all the children. Whenever we visited, either by phone or
by person, much of our conversation was about the children.
Dorothy joined the
Sherlockian world in January 1970 when John brought her to New York for the BSI
weekend. We all loved her, and she in turn loved being part of our world.
Dorothy helped found the Brothers Three of Moriarty and went to all John's
workshops.
When she was building
221B Baker Street as a present for John, I remember how excited she was over the
project. Whenever we were together, we went shopping for miniature furniture.
(Editor's note: Dorothy's model of 221B, a 1” to 1’ replica of the entire house,
is now on display at the University of Minnesota as part of the Sherlock Holmes
Collections.)
In 1974, Dorothy was
"The Woman" at the BSI dinner, and in 1995, she received the BSI's Victoria
Medal in recognition of her Sherlockian contributions. Because of the warm
hospitality she provided to Sherlockians from around the world who made the
pilgrimage to the Shaws' residence in Santa Fe, her ASH investiture was most
appropriate – “Mrs. Hudson.”
Dorothy was a very
gracious lady, and I feel very fortunate to have had her for a dear friend for
twenty‑nine years. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
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