If a writer is so cautious that he/she never writes anything that cannot be criticized, he/she will never write anything that can be read. — Thomas Merton
Background
Whether it’s been careers sweeping across the horizons of the legal field, radio, television, the movies or the literary panorama, Mark Shaw has never stopped his attempt to live a life full of adventure. As he likes to say, “Keep the faith, you never know when there's a miracle right around the corner.”
During a journey packed with such miracles, defining moments and true blessings, Mark, in late 2020, was honored when his alma mater Purdue University, decided to become the archival repository for his body of work alongside the collections of Amelia Earhart and Neil Armstrong. For details here is the
Purdue press release
The second youngest of four children, Mark was born in the small town of Auburn, Indiana to Marvin and Vera Shaw. His brother Jack, a Purdue University graduate, became president of DirectTV before retiring in 2002 and subsequently was named a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. In all, more than 10 of Mark’s relatives have, to date, graduated from Purdue.
Shaw's first employments as a youngster were washing cars, TV Guide magazines, sacking groceries, and working construction, but his eye was on anything new he could try. This curiosity would lead him to more than thirty occupations including chemicals salesman, Chicago Rush Street bartender, criminal defense lawyer, newspaper co-founder and columnist, television personality, television producer, film producer, television legal analyst and author. He has lived in several parts of the country including Auburn, Indianapolis, Aspen, New York City, Los Angeles, Corona del Mar, (CA), San Francisco, Nashville (IN), Sausalito and San Anselmo (CA), East Lansing (MI), Superior, Colorado, Burlingame (CA) and most recently, Santa Clara, (CA) near where his wife Wen-ying Lu is Head of Cataloging at the Santa Clara University Libraries
Education/Legal Credentials
Mark graduated from Purdue University in 1968 having spent five years and three summer schools there earning a B.S. in Industrial Management. He was a member of the golf team and Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
In 1972, Mark graduated from the Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis. He was a student intern for a law firm while completing his course work. After passing the bar examination and returning from Germany and Italy, he became a public defender in the Indianapolis court system.
For the next few years, Shaw enjoyed a successful private practice focused mainly on high-profile murder cases, one of which he tried with the famed F. Lee Bailey. In the early 1980s, he became a member of the California Bar. In 2008, Shaw received a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California. with a specialized interest in spiritual conversion and religious art.
Television/Film/Radio Career
In late 1976, Mark, to the shock of the legal community, left the practice of law in Indianapolis and moved to Aspen, Colorado. There, along with friends David Danforth and Lee Duncan, he co-founded the Aspen Daily News, a newspaper surviving to this day. During that time, the murder trial of famous singer Andy Williams’ wife Claudine Longet became an international sensation. Upon the recommendation of F. Lee Bailey’s agent, Mark became the legal analyst for ABC’s Good Morning America. He reported from the trial on daily on the month-long trial and predicted the outcome. After the trial, Ms. Longet permitted Shaw the only exclusive interview she provided
Impressed with his on-air personality, GMA hired Shaw as their “on the road” during the late 1970s. He traveled around the country filming human interest stories. Among them was a dangerous in an F-4 fighter jet, coverage of the annual “Ugly Dog Contest” and “Miss Nude California” pageant, and reporting the 200th July 4 celebration at the Declaration of Independence in Washington D. C.
In 1979, when famed producer David Suskind sought a co-host for his prime time CBS primetime television program, People, to join former Miss America Phyllis George, he chose Mark. Based in New York City, Mark filmed segments with actor/race driver Paul Newman by riding with him in his race around a Watkins Glen track, enjoyed a scary ride on a California rollercoaster with celebrity actress Kristy McNichol, and joined British actor Robert Morley at a famous Manhattan restaurant for a tasty dinner during his filming of the hit movie comedy, “The Great Chefs of Europe.” People aired on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. but was short-lived due to poor ratings against Monday Night Football.
After moving to California in 1980, Shaw was hired to be one of the hosts of The World of People syndicated television program based in San Francisco before appearing as “Mr. Science” on twenty-six episodes of the Disney Channel program, The Scheme of Things. In 1981, Mark was also a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight, and interviewed, among others, pop singer Cyndy Lauper and the Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. Later he co-hosted “Mid-Morning Los Angeles” on Channel 9 with Meredith MacRae as well as KABC’s “Good Morning LA” with Cyndy Garvey, wife of LA Dodger’s first basement Steve Garvey.
In Los Angeles, Mark Academy Award winning actor James Stewart through his church and persuaded him to host a 1984 Fox television show Mark created called “A Beverly Hills Christmas” with James Stewart featuring the history of the songs of Christmas. The program featured Mr. Stewart, Lucille Ball, Burt Reynolds, Walter Matthau, Denise Williams, Lee Greenwood and George Burns with Mark as producer. After returning to Indiana in the early 1990s, Shaw was executive producer for the film “Freeze Frame,” starring Shannen Doherty of Beverly Hills 90210 fame, and co-executive producer of “Diving In, starring Burt Young and Kristy Swanson. The latter was distributed through Paramount Home Video.
In 1992, Mark was hired by ABC, London Channel Four, ESPN and USA Today as legal analyst for the Mike Tyson rape trial. He also wrote a daily column for USA Today and correctly predicted the outcome. During the early 2000s, Shaw analyzed the O. J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant trials for ESPN and appeared on ESPN specials featuring Larry Bird, Don Larsen and Jack Nicklaus. He also hosted “Afternoons with Mark Shaw,” two radio talk show based in Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana, respectfully.
During his entertainment career, Shaw has interviewed such luminaries as Paul Newman, Arnold Palmer, F. Lee Bailey, James Stewart, Lucille Ball, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, gambling legends Amarillo Slim and “Texas Dolly” Brunson, Burt Reynolds, the Eagles, Hunter Thompson, Robert Duvall, George Plimpton, pop singer Cyndy Lauper and super-model Cheryl Tiegs. During his days in Aspen, he also met his “look-a-like,” famous singer John Denver and before that, in Cincinnati, Ohio, interviewed famed astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Publications/Media Attention
To date, Mark Shaw has published nearly 30 books. Based on his perspective of the Mike Tyson trial, he wrote the first one, Down For the Count, published in 1992. Subsequent books include Bury Me In A Pot Bunker with golf designer Pete Dye, Testament To Courage, based on a Holocaust journal, The Perfect Yankee with Don Larsen, and Forever Flying with famed aviator R. A. “Bob” Hoover.
Mark also published Miscarriage of Justice, the Jonathan Pollard Story, Nicklaus, Golf’s Greatest Champion, Clydesdales, the World’s Most Magical Horse, Stations Along the Way, based on a brave German woman’s account of her days during WW II, From Birdies to Bunkers with golf designer Alice Dye, Larry Legend chronicling Boston Celtics great Larry Bird’s first of NBA coaching, Let the Good Times Roll, about famous Indiana-born musicians, and Beneath the Mask of Holiness, a biography of spiritual guru Thomas Merton. In 2018, he published the novel, Courage in the Face of Evil, based on a true story as told in a Holocaust journal.
To date, Shaw has published five books touching on the JFK assassination including Melvin Belli, King of the Courtroom in 2007 and The Poison Patriarch: How the Betrayals of Joseph P. Kennedy Caused the Assassination of JFK in 2013. Nearly three years later, Shaw penned the bestseller, The Reporter Who Knew Too Much about the life and times and the death of legendary media icon Dorothy Kilgallen and her coverage of the assassination. He followed up that book with Denial of Justice which exposed never-before-published evidence about the assassination and Ms. Kilgallen being denied justice when she was murdered.
During the publication of his many books, Mark, who has received thousands of emails from readers of his books and those who have watched his presentations and interviews, has also been featured on hundreds of podcasts and such prestigious radio broadcasts as Coast to Coast with George Noory while speaking at universities, libraries and other venues.
Literary Publications
Mark was the founder of Indianapolis and then Aspen-based “Books For Life Foundation,” a literary organization assisting the publishing aspirations of prospective authors and poets. During its tenure, he worked with more than 1000 writers around the world mentoring their efforts. To assist with the process, he wrote five books on the practical aspects of writing and publishing including Book Report: Publishing Strategies, Writing Tips and 101 Literary Ideas for Aspiring Authors and Poets. He also wrote Grammar Report, Self-Publishing Report, Poetry Report, and Writer’s Report.
In 2015, Shaw combined his publishing ideas in the book, How to Become a Published Author: Idea to Publication. He continues to work with aspiring authors as a literary consultant and has conducted “How to Become a Published Author or Poet: Idea to Publication” seminars at libraries, universities, bookstores and writer’s centers in the United States and in Paris and Taiwan.
Based on his book about publishing, Shaw has lectured at the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana for several years. Attorneys are educated regarding not only how to become published but also how to represent aspiring authors.
Memberships
Shaw is a member of the Indiana and California bar and the International George Bernard Shaw Society.