Former state Sen. Shaffer wills over $6M to county charities
PENN TWP — Friends and family of former state Sen. Tim Shaffer gathered Friday, Aug. 4, as his estate willed over $6 million to county charities with half supporting community college scholarships.
Friend and former law partner Tom King, of Dillon, McCandless, King, Coulter & Graham, called the gift “Tim’s legacy.”
Shaffer, 76, died May 3, 2022.
“This is Tim’s legacy, his legacy and his message, to give to other people,” King said to a gathering at the Butler Country Club. “He was kind, he was good-hearted, he was a partisan, he was a soldier, he was a lawyer, he was a state senator, he was a judge, he was a son, he was a cousin and he was a friend.”
Shaffer left more than $3 million, half of his estate, to Butler County Community College’s Education Foundation. Shaffer previously contributed $1 million to the foundation in 2018 that helped build the Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building.
“We’re very touched by the gift; it is a historic gift for the college,” said Megan Coval, executive director for the foundation. “It’s the largest individual gift the college has received.”
Shaffer’s contribution of more than $1.2 million was given in support of the established John Stephen Shaffer Memorial Scholarship Fund.
“That was established in the ’60s, in memory of Tim’s brother,” Coval said.
Over $1.8 million will be used to found the John and Jean Shaffer Memorial Scholarship Fund, honoring his late mother and father.
“This gift is a continuation of decades of generosity to BC3 from the entire Shaffer family,” Coval said. “I think the fact that these funds specifically are designated for our scholarship program makes this gift extra meaningful because when you give a scholarship to a student, it changes their life, and then, that has exponential effects.
“We educate them, they go out in Butler County, they impact the community and it just continues to give and give.”
Shaffer, a lifelong member of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Prospect, also included a gift of $1.2 million to the church in his will.
“He has supported the church all through his time,” said Teddy Davis, church council president. “Like, whether it would be Christmas or Easter, for people that were living alone or the widows of the church, he would make sure to purchase 15 poinsettias or 15 flowers at Easter to make sure everyone got one, even if they didn’t have someone to get them from.”
Davis said Shaffer also would regularly supply “wheelbarrows” of cereal to the church for the local food bank.
“He’s always been there for the Emmanuel Lutheran Church,” she said, “and we are certainly astounded at the gift that he presented to us.”
Historic Harmony also received $1.2 million from Shaffer, a former board member.
“This is such wonderful generosity and support from Tim, who is a longtime friend of Historic Harmony and the Harmony Museum, a great supporter,” said Rodney Gasch, president of the society. “We own nine properties and seven buildings, and this gift is designated to building maintenance and repair, and that’s really good to keep our historic facilities in great shape.”
Just over $600,000 was then given to the Butler County Historical Society.
“When we heard at our meeting with our director, we were blown away because we’ve had stuff given to us before, but nothing anywhere near this level,” said Brad Pflugh, historical society vice president. “It probably sounds weird, but with the Cooper Cabin, the Little Red School House and then our main building behind the courthouse, it’s a lifesaver for a lot of properties.”
A 1973 Duquesne University law school graduate, Shaffer served as Butler County’s solicitor from 1976 to 1978. He was elected a state senator in 1981 and served to 1996. Shaffer finally retired as a Butler County district judge in 2015.
But before all that, he was a soldier.
“My wife, Marcy King, devoted many hours to carefully going through Tim’s stuff and find things,” Tom King said. “One of the things we found is a fascinating letter from Tim to his cousin. He wrote it on an old machine from Vietnam. And he told his cousin where he was in Vietnam, and he was right on the border of Cambodia — they were getting bombed, they were getting shot by the Vietnamese.”
During the Vietnam War, Shaffer served as a lieutenant in the United States Signal Corps from 1967 to 1970.
During Friday’s gathering, local historian Bill May read Shaffer’s letter to his cousin — at age 22 — as testament to his character.
“The line between what makes a hero and makes a man a murderer here is very thin indeed,” May said, quoting Shaffer.
The historic letter gave a comprehensive overview of Shaffer’s service at the time — addressing the era’s contentious politics, telling jokes and musing about the ethics of soldiering life. One part, however, stood out.
“At the end of the letter is why we’re all here today,” King said.
The letter concludes with Shaffer summarizing his time in Vietnam as a “very interesting and worthwhile experience,” despite his frustrations.
“Except for one more thing: We have got this orphanage nearby with the most sorry little kids in that you ever saw — dirty, disease-ridden and most have almost no clothes,” Shaffer wrote. “If you could send me just a couple of things, just a couple of small items, a plastic toy, bar soap, shampoo, baby powder, a towel, a piece of small, lightweight clothing, a couple of pencils or just anything a kid under 12 could use, I’d appreciate it.”
Shaffer’s church, Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Prospect, responded to his plea, according to King.
“And Tim never forgot it,” he said. “And so today we see the culmination of a lifetime of giving.”
King said he was confident the charities would use the gifts as Shaffer would have, and he hoped by sharing the story of Shaffer’s generosity, others would follow his example.
“I think Tim’s friends who aren’t here today will enjoy hearing about his legacy, and hopefully it will inspire others,” King said. “I know it will inspire all of us to try to live up to his model and what he’s done for our community.”
