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A.Vincent Shea dead at 90
By
Robert Brickhouse
Longtime
administrator and faculty member A. Vincent Shea, 90, revered
for his distinguished service to the University, died May 18 at
his residence at Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge after
a long illness.
Shea
served as U.Va.’s chief financial officer from 1947-77, and
from 1964, he held the rank of professor, and later professor
emeritus, in the Department
of Government and Foreign Affairs.
A
native of Richmond, Shea earned his bachelor’s degree in
1934 and master’s degree in 1935 from U.Va. He pursued further
graduate work in public administration at the University of Chicago
and Stanford University. He joined the U.Va. faculty in 1936 as
a member of the Bureau of Public Administration.
Shea
returned to U.Va. after distinguished service in the U.S. Navy
during World War II. During the late 1940s and the 1950s, he simultaneously
held three major administrative posts: bursar from 1947-53, assistant
to President Colgate W. Darden from 1947-59, and secretary to
the Board of Visitors from 1947-54, when he was appointed comptroller.
Shea was named vice president for business and finance in 1970
when U.Va. established vice presidencies for those heading the
major administrative divisions.
At
other times in his career, he served as chair of the Woodrow Wilson
Department of Government and Foreign Affairs and secretary of
the Alumni Board of Trustees. He retired from the vice presidency
in 1977 and returned to full-time teaching, from which he retired
in 1982.
In
1960, students recognized his contributions by bestowing him with
the Raven Award. In 1974, he received U.Va.’s highest faculty
honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award, for his dedication to the University’s
financial stability and growth, particularly his efforts to raise
the level of faculty salaries. At his death, it was revealed that
he was a member of the Seven Society.
A
very private man, he worked tirelessly for the general well-being
of the University, most often in ways that only a few were aware
of. He was a trusted adviser, beyond what his titles implied,
to three presidents of the University, even in retirement, and
a succession of rectors relied heavily on his counsel. Shea and
his wife, the late Eleanor Gray Shea, were quiet benefactors of
the University.
“Mr.
Shea knew the University and cared about it. He understood what
it could be and he did everything he could to help it achieve
its potential,” said Leonard W. Sandridge, executive vice
president and chief operating officer. “When he made a decision,
there was only one question in his mind — what was best for
the long-term interests of the University?”
Shea
was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership society,
and Beta Gamma Sigma, the national honorary society for commerce
and business administration. He served as president of the Eastern
Association of College and University Business Officers in 1960
and was on the board of directors of the National Association
of College and University Business Officers from 1965-68.
As
a testament to his devotion to U.Va., Shea provided for the creation
of a professorship in mathematics in the Curry School of Education.
It is to be named for his father-in-law, Samuel Braley Gray.
Shea’s
wife, Eleanor Gray Shea, preceded him in death.
There
will be a memorial celebration at the University at a date to
be announced.
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