Sandy C. Shaw was born September 26, 1954 in Houston, Texas to Muriel Rachel Shaw and Harold Shaw. For over twenty-five years, Sandy worked at both public and private institutions as a computer scientist and software engineer. His contributions include work pioneering cellular phone service, patents in data analysis and biotechnology, and early research on Complexity Theory.
In the late 1980s, Sandy began developing fractal data compression algorithms for commercial use. In 2001 he founded Fractal Genomics, a venture that eventually led to the discovery of biomarkers related to AIDS and leukemia. After several years as an independent software developer, consultant, and algorithmic trader, Sandy formed Prime Genomics, which uses genome-wide analysis to diagnose cancer with saliva samples.
To those who knew him well, Sandy's curiosity seemed endless. Whether on movies or politics or the calculus of colors, Sandy would talk with you for hours, elucidating your thoughts in his own respectful and brilliant way. But to others, Sandy's depth and character was easy to miss. So humble and reserved-always wearing a modest beige raincoat and unkept silver hair-most never heard that Sandy once got lost while descending the Klein Matterhorn alone at night and that he used to swim with dolphins in the La Perouse Bay. This is no surprise. Sandy devoted his life to simplifying complexity in a chaotic world. His patience and unparalleled compassion explain why he did this so well.
Sandy passed away March 22nd, 2015. For almost twenty years, Sandy lived in San Francisco with his partner, Devorah Canter. He is survived by Devorah, her children Aryeh, Aron, and Jacob, his nephew Avalon Shaw, and his sister-in-law Jennifer Jaegle. A funeral was held at the Home of Peace Cemetery on Tuesday, March 24th with colleagues, family and friends.
Sandy was my best friend from when we were in 9th grade until some time after college graduation. After he went to Stony Brook and then Hawaii and San Francisco, we did not see each other much. I think the last time was the day after our 30th high school reunion when we went out to eat. I learned of his death here when I went to his Facebook page to see if it was still active. I was going to send a message to him to let him know that we were thinking of going to the San Francisco area and I was hoping we could get together. We could reminisce about our all-night chess games and driving around Houston to see where streets ended in the days when gasoline was cheap (we found it for 19.9 cents a gallon in Galveston). And of course there were the poker games with J.D. and Jeff. In a high school English class, Mrs., Thompson gave us an assignment to write our epitaphs. Sandy, quoting The Beatles, wrote "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Life Goes On." Mrs. Thompson was not impressed, but I am sure that Sandy would want those he cared about the most to live your lives and carry on.
I am sorry to hear of Sandy's passing. He played the clarinet and I played the coronet in Longfellow's fledgling band class with Mr. Corder. We lived around the corner from one another and were pals all through elementary. He was always so good-natured, unassuming and easy to talk to. I remember him with fondness.
I knew Sandy from band, he's was a talented clarinetist and a compassionate and extremely bright man. I never got to know him well; band didn't allow much time to socialize. I was considered a rebel and Sandy was not. Sandy was a good friend of my best friend Richard Palmer. Sandy's brain worked differently from mine he was disciplined and very focused. I suffer from ADHD and dyslexia; my brain functions like a tornado 🌪️
Sandy you will be missed may you Rest In Peace.
Fran Brochstein
Sandy C. Shaw was born September 26, 1954 in Houston, Texas to Muriel Rachel Shaw and Harold Shaw. For over twenty-five years, Sandy worked at both public and private institutions as a computer scientist and software engineer. His contributions include work pioneering cellular phone service, patents in data analysis and biotechnology, and early research on Complexity Theory.
In the late 1980s, Sandy began developing fractal data compression algorithms for commercial use. In 2001 he founded Fractal Genomics, a venture that eventually led to the discovery of biomarkers related to AIDS and leukemia. After several years as an independent software developer, consultant, and algorithmic trader, Sandy formed Prime Genomics, which uses genome-wide analysis to diagnose cancer with saliva samples.
To those who knew him well, Sandy's curiosity seemed endless. Whether on movies or politics or the calculus of colors, Sandy would talk with you for hours, elucidating your thoughts in his own respectful and brilliant way. But to others, Sandy's depth and character was easy to miss. So humble and reserved-always wearing a modest beige raincoat and unkept silver hair-most never heard that Sandy once got lost while descending the Klein Matterhorn alone at night and that he used to swim with dolphins in the La Perouse Bay. This is no surprise. Sandy devoted his life to simplifying complexity in a chaotic world. His patience and unparalleled compassion explain why he did this so well.
Sandy passed away March 22nd, 2015. For almost twenty years, Sandy lived in San Francisco with his partner, Devorah Canter. He is survived by Devorah, her children Aryeh, Aron, and Jacob, his nephew Avalon Shaw, and his sister-in-law Jennifer Jaegle. A funeral was held at the Home of Peace Cemetery on Tuesday, March 24th with colleagues, family and friends.
Vaughn Westheimer
This is from what I posted on Facebook in 2015:
Doug Franklin
I am sorry to hear of Sandy's passing. He played the clarinet and I played the coronet in Longfellow's fledgling band class with Mr. Corder. We lived around the corner from one another and were pals all through elementary. He was always so good-natured, unassuming and easy to talk to. I remember him with fondness.
John Birmingham III
I knew Sandy from band, he's was a talented clarinetist and a compassionate and extremely bright man. I never got to know him well; band didn't allow much time to socialize. I was considered a rebel and Sandy was not. Sandy was a good friend of my best friend Richard Palmer. Sandy's brain worked differently from mine he was disciplined and very focused. I suffer from ADHD and dyslexia; my brain functions like a tornado 🌪️Sandy you will be missed may you Rest In Peace.