400 Honor L.A. Employee Killed in Street Collapse

In a crisis, civil engineer Rory Shaw was the go-to guy. Even if the call came in the middle of the night or on his day off, he would respond.

“This guy was a superhero when it came to emergency repair work,” said Frank Bonoff, retired engineer for the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, who helped recruit Shaw in 1991. “He just took it on as a responsibility to fix problems.”

Bonoff was among 400 people who attended a memorial service Thursday in the Los Angeles City Council Chambers for Shaw, 47, who was killed Sunday in Sun Valley when the ground gave way and he fell into a massive sinkhole that he was helping to repair.

Shaw, director of the city’s emergency sewer repair division, was remembered by friends and colleagues as a personable and committed employee who worked impossibly long hours whenever a crisis arose.

“His life ended tragically because he was trying to save a street” during the Southland’s punishing storms, his sister, Leslie Botti, said during the two-hour memorial attended by Mayor James K. Hahn and dozens of top city officials.

She urged those present not to wonder whether Shaw could have done something differently to avoid the tragedy. “Do not play the what-if game,” she said. “It was an accident.”

Those closest to him fretted about Shaw’s workaholic lifestyle but at the same time appreciated his penchant for perfectionism.

“Rory taught us to do it once and to do it right the first time,” said Tim Haug, deputy city engineer, one of the many who praised Shaw for being a leader, a teacher and a friend who always had time to listen to others.

Born in Aurora, Colo., Shaw grew up in Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University in 1979. He served in the Navy until 1984, working on nuclear power and classified assignments.

He went back to school to obtain a civil engineering degree and then embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Public Works Department.

Though Shaw jokingly told his friends that he was married to his job, they often saw a fun-loving side.

He enjoyed lunch-hour card games and played a serious game of cribbage.

Colleagues said although Shaw was “rough and tough” on the outside, he was thoughtful and kind to others.

“I think it’s an honor for all of us to be city employees when we look at employees like Rory Shaw,” said Hahn, who conferred with Shaw hours before the deadly sinkhole collapse. “His memory is going to serve as an inspiration to all of us.”