SHANNON, Fred (Dr.)

Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, Arizona September 2, 1965 The tragic death of Dr. Fred Shannon from the bite of Mohave rattlesnake stunned the residents of this community where he had practiced medicine since 1949, with the exception of nearly two years in the army in the Korean War. Death came to the doctor at 12:55 a.m. Tuesday in the Los Angeles General County Hospital within an hour after he had been flown there in ambulance plane from Safford, Arizona. Dr. Shannon, one of the ranking scientists of the country and a widely know authority on reptiles and the treatment of their bites, was struck by the Mohave, the deadliest of all rattlesnakes, Sunday evening while he was doing assessment work on his mining claims in the vicinity of Klondike, Ariz. He was struck on the finger and the hour and a half trip to the hospital and to the medical treatment in Safford undoubtedly contributed to his death. When his condition steadily worsened Monday he was given blood transfusions and placed in an iron lung. Monday night he was placed in the ambulance plane and flown to Los Angeles where a large staff of specialists, including many of Dr. Shannon’s close friends and colleagues in the field of herpetology struggled in vain to save his life. With Dr. Shannon at his mining claim were his son David, 11, and Brad Lundstrom, 14, both of Wickenburg, and Mrs. Shannon’s brother-in-law Donald Warring of Mesa. They took the doctor to Safford Inn Hospital in the 4 wheel drive vehicles they had used to reach the mining claim. Upon receipt of work of the accident Mrs. Shannon, the former Frances Humphrey and mother Mrs. Leona Humphrey of Mesa were rushed to Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix by the highway patron from where they chartered a plane to Safford. They both accompanied Dr. Shannon in the ambulance plane which flew him to Los Angeles. Dr. Shannon had written many scientific papers on reptiles and especially their bites and stings and was the author of two widely recognized volumes on the subject. He was listed in “American Men of Science” and other publications of the scientific world. Surviving, in addition to the widow and son David are three sisters residing in Los Angeles, Champaign, Ill, and Fairbanks, Alaska. Dr. Shannon was born in Mr. Pleasant, Ia., April 4, 1921. The family moved to Manhattan, Kan., when Dr Shannon was about five years old and lived there until the end of his junior year in high school. His father then was professor of American history at Kansas State College and his son would make frequent trips to the college to study reptiles and amphibians. He would also spend leisure hours collecting snakes in the woods and creeks of the area. The family moved to Williamstown, Mass., and Dr Shannon graduated from high school there. The next move was to Champaign-Urbana, Ill., where his father became professor of history at the University of Illinois. Dr Shannon attended the University of Illinois, majoring in zoology. Two summers while he was in the university he made two-months expeditions into Southwestern Mexico as a collector of reptiles and amphibians for the Chicago Natural History Museum (then called the Field Museum). He graduated from the university in 1943 and entered the University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago where he decided he wanted to practice medicine to support his research career in zoology. Dr Shannon interned at St Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. In September, 1949, he took over the practice of Dr J E Andes in Wickenburg. In 1951 Dr Shannon was called to active duty when the Korean War caused a call to be issued for more physicians. He served in Korea at the front and was stationed in the west central sector. After 13 months on duty at the front, Dr Shannon achieved the rank of Captain. He resumed his practice in Wickenburg in July, 1953. ~~~~~~~~ The Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ September 9, 1965 Dr. Shannon’s Funeral Held Here Saturday Funeral services for Dr. Fred A. Shannon, whose death occurred September in a Los Angeles hospital as the result of a rattlesnake bite, were held at 11 o'clock Saturday morning at the Wickenburg Funeral Home with the Rev. Dan Gerrard, Rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church officiating. Burial followed in the Wickenburg Cemetery. Pallbearers were Dr. Findlay Russell of Los Angeles; Dr. Sam Cohen of Phoenix; Dr. Richard Abbuhl of Tucson and Dr. Floyd B. Bralliar, Robert Wentworth and Frank Stanlis, Wickenburg.