The sad story was the lead story on Dallas TV news tonight. Rufus and Lynn Flint Shaw dead in a murder-suicide. The pain that led to this event must have been immense. Who can blame them for feeling it so deeply. After years of involvement with city hall and the arts programs of Dallas, Lynn deserved better treatment. And so did Rufus. Sure, he could be angry at times, but I liked him. He was a forthright man who survived very ugly times as a college student who broke color lines and excelled.
The end came around a measly $7,500 debt. There were hundreds of us who would have covered it had we known it would come to this. But the attack dogs hounded her instead. How very tragic.
Lynn was my friend. Most knew her for her politics and influence. I knew her as a talented therapist who worked with children with developmental challenges. Autism was a specialty that she and her staff tackled especially well. Not many can say that.
I was not and certainly am not numbered among Dallas’s power elite. Yet Lynn was always as warm and caring for me as anyone could want. It wasn’t all power. It wasn’t all politics. She had a big heart inside. I shall miss her in many ways. I grieve for their son, a college senior, only child, and once I a little boy I watched grow from afar, learning what I did by the affection in his mother’s voice.
Lynn, Rufus . . . I hope I see you in heaven someday. Thank God it’s about grace, and not about accusation and indignation.