What Shaw didn’t see coming was a nomination from his son, Michael, and the approval of the dinner executives to choose Shaw as the winner of the 2019 B’nai Brith We’re Proud of You Award. “I was truly honoured by the whole process and so impressed by Michael’s incredible introduction and his stage presence. He inherited those skills from his mother and his grandfather.”

Michael’s mother is Linda Shaw, Arnie’s wife for 48 years, and Michael’s grandfather is Sid Buckwold, the mayor of Saskatoon in its heydays from 1958 until 1963 and again from 1967 until he was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1971.

Shaw admits that in 1967, fresh out of the University of Alberta, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, “I still didn’t know what I wanted to do in life.” But there was a beautiful turn into a possible career path, thanks to Linda Buckwold. “I was a high school student in Edmonton, she was a student in Saskatoon, and we’d met during a series of Jewish Youth Association conferences that were held twice a year in Alberta and Saskatchewan. I came to Linda’s Grade 12 graduation in Saskatoon and that was the first time I’d met her family. They were very welcoming. I decided to come tl Saskatoon to get a commerce degree.

Linda and I were dating and, in 1971, the same year we both graduated from the University of Saskatchewan, we married. “Linda grew up in a family which was very involved in the community. She’s the most giving person I have ever met. The way she stepped up and has been the chair of the annual women’s Silver Spoon dinner for 27 years, is really a testament to her hard work, diligence and dedication.”

About his father-in-law, Shaw describes Buckwold as “a man who demonstrated leadership by example. His vision for the building of the Centennial Auditorium was terrific.” Part of the money came from a Canadian Centennial grant and, coupled with the city’s own financing plan, Saskatoon paid off the debt relatively easily, even with an overrun, and Saskatoon received great value. The building opened in April 1968. Years later, the auditorium board named the main theatre after Buckwold.

“Everything Sid undertook, he approached with a sense of humour,” said Shaw. “As for growing up in the family, I learned by watching him. We had the great family dinners every Friday, Linda and I played bridge with Sid and Clarice in what seemed like continuous matches. I was given the honour of delivering the eulogy at his funeral in 2001. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but one of the most rewarding.”

For a 10-year period, Shaw was on the board of directors of the Centennial Auditorium. In 1993, he was the interim executive director. “That was the year we had a commitment from New York producers to bring Les Misérables to the Auditorium. There was a moment of nervousness by the promoter. Our friend, Ed Sebestyen at the StarPhoenix, came up with the idea of a sign-up sheet. “If you wanted to see Les Misérables, you signed up. That’s when I found out what a great city Saskatoon was. The response was overwhelming, the promoter was overwhelmed. We wound up with a long run and with the highest ticket sales of anywhere in the country.”

Shaw had come to the board as a chartered accountant. He had an eye for results. “We started a project, Vision 2000, which challenged us to take more risks with touring shows, yet making the building self-sustaining. When Rob Jones came as executive director, we made positive changes, among them being the addition of the upstairs convention floor.”

All the while, Shaw was involved in business. He bought into Centennial Plumbing and Heating as a minority partner, bought the company in 1996, and remains its president today. His son, Michael, and son-in-law, Steven Simpson, run the day-to-day operations. The big change came when Centennial combined the two worlds of selling plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electrical supplies, with becoming a service firm. The company has earned numerous awards from SABEX, the North Saskatoon Business Association and Saskatoon home builders. He joined Nexstar Network, largely an American organization of independent retailers, was on its board and executive committee a number of times and became the only Canadian ever to hold the president’s office.

One of his favourite ventures into community and industry roles was with 3S Health, which is a health services organization in Saskatchewan, where he still sits on the board. He has also had a long association with Saskatchewan Blue Cross and Blue Cross Life of Canada. He has also been connected with the Raj Manek Mentorship program, Junior Achievement and the Saskatoon Regional Home Builders’ Association, among others.

At a grassroots level, Shaw has been active in the Congregation Agudas Israel, was an executive and coach in the Lakeview Community Association and played a fundraising role in Persephone Theatre’s downtown addition and renovation. A previous award, which brought him much pleasure, was winning the 2014 Gerry Rose volunteer award for recognizing and celebrating long-term service and dedication to the Jewish community. “I knew Gerry well, both as a client
and a friend. He was an outstanding example of a volunteer who worked so diligently behind the scenes. Every organization needs strong support people like him. He, too, was a mentor in my life.”

From the 48-year marriage between the Shaws have come three children — Rebecca, Robin and Michael — and grandchildren Noah, Adam, Gavin, Clarice, Eli, Arden and Lew. When he finds time for recreation, it’s usually in tennis, pickleball, golf, bicycling and cross-country skiing

-Ned Powers