Albert J. ‘Doc’ Shafter

Albert J. “Doc” Shafter, 85, of Carbondale, died Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale.

He was born in Carbondale on Sept. 15, 1924, the son of Albert J. and Iva House Shafter.

Services were at Walker Funeral Home in Carbondale Saturday, March 6, at 11 a.m.

Private family graveside services were held at the Harrisburg Sunset Lawn Cemetery.

Mr. Shafter is survived by his wife of 64 years, Lynette “Junior” (Peek); sons A. James Shafter (wife Virginia “Gigi” Robertson) of Decatur, and Michael B. Shafter (wife Martha Limas) of Murphysboro; daughter Belinda “Benjie” J. Davenport (husband Kent W. Davenport) of Weston, Mass.; grandchildren Melissa Shafter Duncan (Scott) of St. Louis, Bradley Shafter Davenport, Kendall Davenport and Courtney Davenport, all of Weston, Mass.; and a great-grandson, A.J. Duncan of St. Louis.

He was preceded in death by his parents and by a younger brother, Jim Shafter.

Mr. Shafter obtained his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

After graduating from Iowa State, he became the assistant superintendent of the Woodward State Hospital in Iowa.

He served as an adjunct professor at SIU, as superintendent of the Enid State School in Oklahoma, as superintendent of the A.L. Bowen Developmental Center in Harrisburg and as assistant zone director for the Illinois Department of Mental Health (Retardation).

Mr. Shafter was a Fellow of the American Association on Mental Retardation. He received the SIU Alumni Achievement Award and served as the president of the SIU Alumni Association. He received the Harrisburg American Legion “Man of the Year” award and was the first “Boss of the Year” from the Shawnee Chapter of National Secretaries Association.

He served for many years as an editor of the American Journal on Mental Deficiency and column editor for MR Journal. He was a prolific writer with hundreds of publications in professional journals.

He was the first chairperson of the Carbondale City Planning Commission, president of the Shawnee Hills Country Club and was a life member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

Mr. Shafter spent his retirement years traveling with Junior and playing golf with friends at Crab Orchard Golf Club. He also “restarted” an advertising specialty company that had been run by his father. He often joked it was his “Multi-Ten Dollar” company.

Memorials can be made to the Southern Illinois University Foundation in Carbondale.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army 1160th Engineer Combat Group in the European Theater.

Walker Funeral Home in Carbondale was in charge of arrangements.