Dr. Gary Lee Shaffer, professor of social work and member of the Chapel Hill community, died of colon cancer Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, surrounded by his family and close friends.
Born in Harrisburg, Pa. on Sept. 30, 1946, he grew up across the Susquehanna River in the town of New Cumberland. He graduated from Cedar Cliff High School, where, among other activities, he sang and played football. Studying social work throughout, he attended Franklin and Marshall College for his bachelor’s, the University of Chicago for his master’s and obtained his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1977.
During his 14 years teaching at the Univ. of Illinois, he focused on developing the undergraduate social work program, directing a pilot project in the early 1980s studying the utilization of computers in education and was director of the Region V Child Welfare Training Center. In honor of his service as the BSW director, the U of I is in the process of establishing a scholarship award in his name.
In 1986, he began his tenure at UNC-CH in the School of Social Work, where he was the director for the Field Education Program. Since 1999, his attention has been on teaching, with particular attention on school social work practice, social work education and international social work. At UNC-CH, he took the lead in the development of the social work practice in the schools program, supervised over 300 students placed in N.C. public schools, was responsible for the licensing of school social work practitioners through the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, and, through this process, recommended more than 500 practitioners for school social work licensure. He worked throughout his career to improve social work education in the United States through the Council on Social Work Education as well as in numerous international social work programs in Costa Rica, Honduras and Lithuania, among others.
He demonstrated a life-long passion for protecting children, strengthening families and education. He has been a tireless advocate for the elimination of corporal punishment in the schools — especially in North Carolina. In his personal life, he was a dedicated husband, father, a close friend to many and a man of many talents. He was a musician, gardener, artist and talented singer who participated in the St. Thomas More choir for more than 20 years. To those in his presence, he was always quick with a smile, a witty comment, a candy or some combination of those three.
He is survived by his wife, Denise; his daughter, Lisa; his brother, Gil; numerous nieces and nephews; and his cat, Sadie.