1. He took me to my first concert when I was eight: Michael Jackson and the other four on the "Victory Tour."
2. He took me to see the B52s when I was 13 and when I asked why the man next to me was dressed as a woman he calmly explained the concept of a drag queen. Oh.
3. He once was in a White Castle hamburger eating contest.
4. He climbed the giant Buddha in Kamakura, Japan.
5. He dressed up like Elvis and sang in front of hundreds of employees at the bank for the United Way.
6. He loves to spend time with his grandson , introducing him to important
national holidays like National Kazoo Day and Opening Day for the
Yankees.
7. He took my brother to Broadway shows, stood by the stage door with him,
and was in the 
audience when Ryan made his Broadway debut in the same
theater they'd once seen a show.
8. He grew up on the mean streets of New York (OK maybe not the mean streets but it was New York)
9. He went to Woodstock (and brought a suitcase).
10. Growing up he and mom often took us to Clearwater Beach on Friday
nights to watch the sunset, eating fried chicken from buckets and
playing in the sand.
11. He made sure to spend time with each one of his three kids so they would feel special.
12. When each one of us was in eighth grade we got to choose a city we'd like to see and he took us there. I chose San Francisco and was forever changed.
13. When we were adults he let us choose another city. I chose Boston. When I said I heard The Police were playing he immediately got floor seats.
14. He worked at Al's Stereo Bar, and was such the cool bartender he picked
up a customer named Rosemary and has been married to her for 38 years.
15. He is a great photographer. Not only that, he prints out copies for everyone. Like hundreds of photos a week.
16. When I got in my first car accident (in his brand new car) and told him it was just a little scratch, he didn't yell when I drove home with the front of the car crumpled up.
17. He went with me to see Alicia Keys. John Legend was the opening act and he predicted he would be big one day.
18. He played college basketball.
19. He proposed to my mom at a Johnny Mathis concert
20. He worked his way up from a loan officer to big boss at the bank, but it never went to his head.
21. He has a blog, iphone, and multiple ipods.
22. When I had to have emergency eye surgery and almost lost my vision, he flew across the country overnight to be there when I woke up.
24. He always puts other people before himself.
25. He made his entrance into the world on Easter.
26. He risks life and limb driving his car in the Deep South with a license plate that includes the 
word "Yanks"
27. One time he walked into a bar and was told to leave. Turned out it was a front for the mob. Fuggetaboutit.
28. He wore a leisure suit to his first job at Fortune Federal Bank
29. He gets excited when The McRib comes back.
30. He's encouraged all of his kids to be themselves, mistakes and all.
31. He didn't yell at me when, at 15, I called him to tell him that my
friends and I had ventured out on Paris subways to see Jim Morrison's
grave.
32. He's mentored countless number of people, teaching them that work is important but family is more important.
33. At one point he had a mustache
34. He gives countless volunteer hours to a non-profit that works for affordable housing for all people.
35. He's well versed in contemporary pop culture.
36. He stays true to teams when they are winners and losers, including his beloved Yankees and Bucs.
37. He didn't yell at me when I dyed my hair pink. Then black. Then red. Then black. Then blonde.
He sang Doo Wop on NY street corners (or at least listened to Doo Wop)
38. He doesn't mind it when his grown children overtake his basement while home for Madonna dance parties
39. He let me camp out for tickets to see The Cure (I didn't realize he was sitting in the parking lot making sure my friends and I were OK.)
40. He is incredibly patient
41. I never saw my parents fight as a child. In fact, the only time I can recall seeing them fight was years later when they were shopping for a pool table and mom suggested lavender fabric.
42. He argues the merits of Captain D's
43. He's really funny
44. He's been to most states and most countries in Europe
45. He knows when to hold them and when to fold them
46. He's a good dancer (hee hee)
47. He sees all the movies up for Oscars and is a good predictor of winners
48. He turns the music up, way up, when driving his Lexus
49. He is a big kid, having as much fun as Nate when we go for train rides, watch the golfers, and 
play with bubbles.
50. He supports many causes, giving quietly and generously.
51. He's a stickler for words and proper grammer
52. He can be a practical joker.
53. He once drove a blue green sporty Cutlas named BeeGee.
54. He sported white patent shoes in the 60s and 70s
55. He climbed The Parthanon
56. He's a high roller at the blackjack tables
57. He's survived many nights on the high seas (including getting locked out of his room on his PJs)
58. He was the king of his bowling league
59. He can beat anyone in trivial pursuit
60. He is the coolest and best dad ever.
Happy 60th Birthday Dad. We love you!
Add your reasons why Hugh Shaw is the coolest to the Comments section!