Sunday, March 6, 2022

Carleton Barker Shay, BHS 1942

Carleton B. Shay, BHS 1942

January 26, 1924 - February 27, 2022 Carleton Barker Shay died at home peacefully at the tender age of 98 years and in the company of his children. Born in Berkeley, he was raised in Burbank by his mother and grandparents. He graduated from Burbank High School shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and after a single semester at UCLA, enlisted in the US Army. He served in the 10th Mountain Division ("Ski Troops") in northern Italy, where he received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. After discharge he completed his BS at UCLA and there met his future wife and closest companion for the next 53 years, Hanna. They married in 1950 and had two children, Catherine Louise (in 1951) and Kenneth John (in 1953). He taught math and served as a guidance counselor at Santa Monica High School until he completed his Education doctorate at UCLA in 1961. He joined the Education faculty at California State College at Los Angeles (later CSULA) and remained at Cal State until his retirement as a Professor of Education in 1989, serving as Associate Dean of the School of Education and Chair of the Academic Senate.

Carleton had a lifelong love of hiking and camping in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and Sierra Nevada mountains. He joined the Sierra Club and became adept at hiking and technical rock-climbing while still a teenager. By the 1990s he had set a record in the club's Hundred Peaks section, having reached the summit of every one of the 277 peaks over 5000' in that group's register-and doing so no fewer than ten times each. He passed along this passion to many in his children's generation by serving as the Scoutmaster of Troop 121 from 1964-1968. He continued skiing and hiking well into his 80's. He was an avid photographer and traveler, visiting all the western National Parks with the full family; exploring parts of Europe, Central and South America, and the Far East with Hanna; and continuing and expanding his international experiences with Cathy following Hanna's death in 2003. Carleton also loved and participated in classical and folk music. He adored vanilla ice cream and hated parsnips.

He is survived and will be greatly missed by his children Cathy Shay Miller (Alex) of Orange and Ken Shay (Bonnie) of Ann Arbor, Michigan; grandchildren Lisa Morgan


(Seth) of Orange, Michael Miller of LA, and Rebecca Shay Rodriguez (Matthew) of Denver, Colorado; and great-grandchildren Shaylyn, Hanna, and Grant Morgan, all of Orange.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations on his behalf to the Sierra Club (ActSierraClub.org) or to Troop 121 (checks made out to "Scout Troop 121" sent to 323 Welcome Street, LA, CA 90026).

Published by Los Angeles Times on Mar. 3, 2022.

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