decriminalization of marijuana use within the home. The commission's March 1972 report had also posited that marijuana use is not without drawbacks and argued that it should nonetheless be discouraged and that selling, growing with the intent to sell, and publicly using marijuana should remain prohibited; however, the commission's recommendation on decriminalization was ultimately not followed by the Nixon administration. Some, such as Eric Sterling of HuffPost, argue that the Shafer Commission's proposal was "ahead of its time". Later life and legacy In February 1972, Shafer became chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the financially troubled TelePrompTer Corporation, which was then the largest cable television company in the United States. He served in this position until being replaced by Jack Kent Cooke, the company's plurality shareholder, in October 1973. He then became chairman emeritus and vice chairman of TelePrompTer. Following the Watergate scandal, Shafer returned to public service upon being named special counsel to new Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, a position he held from 1974 to 1977. From 1977 to 1988 he was a partner and senior counselor with the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand and also maintained a law practice in Meadville. He served briefly as acting president of his alma mater, Allegheny College, from 1985 to 1986. Shafer also served on Allegheny's board of trustees, including as chairman from 1972 to 1981, and on the Council on Foreign Relations. Shafer died at the age of 89 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on December 12, 2006. He was buried with military honors at St. John's Cemetery in Union Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Shafer was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Drexel University in 1968. A section of Interstate 79 in Pennsylvania is named "The Raymond P. Shafer Highway" after him, as is a residence hall at both Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the auditorium at Allegheny College. Pennsylvania House Bill 1652 of 2011, introduced by Democratic State Representative Mark B. Cohen, and Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1003 of 2011, introduced by Democratic State Senator Daylin Leach, were both named "The Governor Raymond P. Shafer Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act". See also Interstate 79 – the Raymond P. Shafer Memorial Highway in Pennsylvania References Bibliography External links Biography of Raymond P. Shafer from Allegheny College Raymond P. Shafer Papers at the Pennsylvania State Archives 1917 births 2006 deaths Republican Party governors of