Paul Leland Shanor II, a lawyer and entrepreneur who specialized in the regulation of medicine and medical care, died unexpectedly in his sleep two days after routine surgery from which he seemed to be recovering well. Though born in Illinois and therefore technically a Yankee, Paul's soul and demeanor will be forever linked to Atlanta and the Appalachian Mountains. Paul was devoted to his wife, Jennie, his son, Nathan, his broader family, and his friends, both human and canine. He had a twinkle in his eye, a quick smile, a wicked sense of humor, and a ready willingness to help anyone in need of a steady hand.

Paul was the younger son of Mary Williams Ward Shanor and Leland Shanor. Both parents were trained mycologists, and his father was a professor at the University of Illinois. The family moved from Urbana to Tallahassee, Florida in 1955. Paul attended primary and middle school in Tallahassee, then completed secondary schooling at P.K Yonge High School in Gainesville, Florida. Paul then earned his BA and did masters' degree work in political science at Emory University in Atlanta before studying law at Emory, where he earned his J.D.

After serving as a coordinator of the Appalachian Human Services Program and as an attorney in the Fraud and Abuse Section of the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Paul served from 1978-1983 as Director of the Appalachian Primary Health Unit of the Georgia Division of Public Health, where he greatly expanded primary care centers in rural areas throughout Georgia and oversaw fluoridation of the water systems in North Georgia. From 1983 to 1987, as Administrative Aide for the Georgia State Senate Human Resources Committee, Paul drafted legislation and reports concerning health care and provided oversight to the Georgia Department of Human Resources.

Paul left government employment in 1987 for the Medical Association of Georgia, where he was Executive Director from 1988 until 2001. Under Paul's leadership, MAG led the nation in physician advocacy legislation and the MAG Foundation grew from a small enterprise to a major medical education entity. Paul made MAG into a national leader among peer institutions.

When Paul left MAG in 2002, he became an attorney and healthcare consultant for numerous clients, including the Georgia Hospital Association, Peach State Health Plan, and Physician's Pharmaceutical Corporation (PPC). He built an especially close relationship with the last of these, becoming a member of the Board of Directors and helping the company develop an extensive network of dispensaries or pharmacies for physicians. Finally, in addition to his consultancy and PPC work, Paul in 2007 became a co-owner and the Vice President of Administration for Keystone Pharmacy Services, which owns, manages, and provides strategic services to pharmacies, mainly on university campuses.

In his private life, Paul was devoted to his wife of 42 years, Jennie Crouch Shanor, and was the proud father of son Nathan Ward Shanor, who is CFO of a New York based company, Amplicare, which provides software to pharmacies to improve patient health outcomes. Paul cherished his neighbors and friends, many of whom relate stories of how Paul helped them in their careers and provided unqualified love and support to them in times of trial or tragedy. Paul thrived on being a part of his son's scouting, sporting, and academic activities, and made catching up with his son's friends a priority whenever he had the chance. In addition to Jennie and Nathan, Paul is survived by his brother Charles and his wife Susan, and numerous cousins, most with last names of Shanor, Crouch, Ward, or Highsmith.

A memorial service is planned for friends and family post-pandemic to celebrate Paul's life and career. Meanwhile, gifts may be made in his memory to the Atlanta Hospital Hospitality House, for which Paul served as a volunteer and Chairman of the Board for many years, or to the Atlanta Boxer Rescue, as Paul loved his canine family.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sep. 27, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for Paul Shanor

6 Entries

Pierre Howard

September 21, 2024

As Chair of the Georgia State Senate Human Resources Committee, I had the great pleasure of working with my close friend Paul Shanor to pass legislation to improve the health of the Georgia people. He was widely recognized as the best on health care policy, and many of his ideas about improving health care in Georgia became law due to his efforts. I miss Paul very much, and I´m thankful to have had so many years to work with him.

Tammy Clower

November 23, 2020

Jennie, I saw Kent briefly today and he told me about Paul. I am so sorry to hear about his passing. I always appreciated the dedication you and Paul both had for our kids. Y'all were an important part of our 'village'. Hugs and prayers from afar.

John Whitlock

October 4, 2020

I’m gonna miss you Paul.

tom wilder

September 29, 2020

Paul, was one class act. I got to work with him while I was on the Health and Ecology Committee in the Georgia General Assembly for 10 years. I could count on Paul for truthful information and in a timely manner.

Doug Marks

September 27, 2020

Jennie, Nathan and Family,

As you know, Paul and I shared “outlaw” status at the annual Crouch Family Reunion held at Garden City Beach, SC. Those few hours at the reunion each year provided my only contact with Paul over the past 25 years. Those hours were enough, however, for us to form a friendship. It was immediately obvious to me that Paul was a man of intellect, honesty and integrity...someone I wanted to know better. We spent much time at those events talking about his work, my work, and most of all about our children. Nathan, I learned more about you in those talks with your dad than I could learn from Wikipedia!! He was so very proud of you.
This year, we missed our conversation due to COVID-19. However, we talked on the phone just a few months ago. I had let Paul know that I was a huge fan of the baked beans he cooked for the reunion dinner, and I asked him for the recipe. This summer, Paul called me and told me he didn’t have a written recipe, but just “cooked them from memory”. We had planned a Zoom session on some upcoming rainy afternoon where he would cook beans and dictate what he was doing. I would be taking notes and hopefully end up with the recipe! I’m sure that we would have caught up on Nathan and my children during the session. Sadly, we waited too long to set up our “meeting”.
Paul Shanor was a good man. That was clear to me 25 years ago in our first reunion chat. I’ll miss those talks, and I’ll forever wonder how he made those beans taste so good!
Rest In Peace, Paul.

Pierre Howard

September 27, 2020

Paul was one of the best men I ever knew. I was privileged to work with him in state government, and he was smart and effective in guiding healthcare policy for Georgia. He became one of the foremost Georgia experts on healthcare, and his influence on healthcare will be felt for years to come. He was so devoted to Jennie and Nathan, who were the lights of his life. I will miss him and always remember his smile.

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