James Clark Shannon

1949 - 2024

James Clark Shannon

June 8, 1949 - September 22, 2024

Every room he entered, every gathering he joined, every individual he encountered was enriched by his generosity of spirit and unfeigned kindness. James Clark Shannon, of Charlottesville and Richmond, VA, and Wilmette, IL, passed away on Sunday, September 22, after a heroic battle with cancer. He was 75 years old.

Born in Charleston, SC, on June 8, 1949, Jim was ever the true Southern Gentleman. His infectious enthusiasm, dry sense of humor and ever present smile inspired family, friends and colleagues; his genuine humility masked a lifetime of impressive accomplishments; his gentle nature soothed the countless people who sought his counsel.

All who knew him were aware of his unparalleled devotion to his beloved University of Virginia which echoed throughout his professional, academic and social life. Jim, a proud "Double 'Hoo", earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University's College of Arts and Sciences in 1971. Three years later, he graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and set out on a five-decade legal career.

Based primarily in Richmond, Jim's practice was so active, he appeared in all but three Circuit County courthouses in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He avoided the big highways, forcefully declared them sterile and uninteresting, and made a habit of exploring the most attractive back roads, scenic vistas and historic sites as he traveled the Old Dominion to fulfill his legal responsibilities. He marked the roads he drove in a well-worn gazetteer of Virginia that he kept close at hand. Looking back on his career, Jim recently told a friend that he faced a choice in 1971. He had been accepted to both the business school and the law school at UVa. The business program took two years, the law school took three. He chose law, he said, because it guaranteed he would be in Charlottesville for an extra year.

Jim was admitted to the Virginia Bar Association in 1975. From his early years practicing law, Jim was a leader in the Richmond legal community. As a member of the Richmond Bar, he served as chairman of the Young Lawyers Section 1985 to 1986, was a Member of the Board of Directors of the from 1988 to 1989; and from 1993 through 1996 served in the positions of Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President, President-Elect; and from 1996 to 1997, served the Richmond Bar Association as its President. Jim served on the faculty and taught Ethics (a required course for all new members admitted to the Virginia Bar) at the Virginia State Bar Association Harry L. Carrico Professionalism School from 2017 to 2020.

In 2019, the Richmond Bar Association honored Jim with the prestigious Hunter W. Martin Professionalism Award, given annually to an RBA member who throughout one's life and career in the law have "best exemplified the conduct and high ideals embodied in the Bar's Principles of Professionalism." Recipients of the award "possess an understanding of, and adherence to high ethical standards of conduct and tolerance, respect and civility toward clients, opposing parties, colleagues and the judiciary." When announcing the award, the Executive Director of the Richmond Bar Association, Lee Martin stated, "Jim is the epitome of and personifies the attributes of this award". Beyond his professional life, Jim was admired for that same civility and respect in his dealings with everyone he encountered.

Jim joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity his first year at Virginia, making friendships that he would maintain throughout his life. He was a natural athlete, a member of the varsity track team during his undergraduate years and Co-Captain of the team in his fourth year. Jim was an enthusiastic participant in a wide range of intramural sports for teams fielded by the SPE house all the way through law school. He was so fast on his feet that he was the leadoff batter for every softball team he played on. No matter where he hit the ball, which was usually to an infielder, he could outrun the throw, so all his teams started their games with a runner on first base. He was president of SPE during his law school years and a key member of the fraternity's alumni board of directors. Jim also was a Past President and member of the SPE-associated Plunger Society, begun at The University in 1958. He relished his role as unofficial historian, emphasizing the egalitarian roots of the organization and enthusiastically recruiting new members to attend the home football game tailgates which he meticulously planned and directed for over five decades. He famously maintained a secret whiskey sour recipe reserved exclusively for those tailgates and, in recent years, established the Bronze Plunger award for distinguished members of the tailgate group.

Jim's most enduring legacy, however, is his unwavering devotion to his family and friends and the deep kind-heartedness that he sometimes tried to mask. He had a studied method of feigning a sort of tough-guy disdain for things that others declared they held dear, but, after observing the initial shock he intended to evoke, he would quickly alter his demeanor to express his real agreement with the values and aspirations of his friends and acquaintances. His remarkable record of volunteer work is testament to his lifelong legacy of selflessness. During a tailgate in the fall of 2014, Jim submitted himself enthusiastically to a public soaking as part of that year's Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for research and promote awareness of ALS, Lou Gherig's Disease.

More recently, Jim spent countless hours volunteering for the Virginia Dental Association Foundation's Mission of Mercy, a nonprofit program that sets up temporary dental clinics around the state, providing free dental care to Virginians in underserved areas. The work brought Jim to all corners of the state, navigating patients to the services they needed and managing the sometimes overwhelming flow. During the Covid epidemic, Jim continued the work driving over 2,200 miles delivering necessary PPE (personal protective equipment) and other necessary hard to locate medical supplies to senior living facilities, clinics, rescue and ambulance services around the small towns and rural areas across Virginia. He was named Volunteer of the Month by the Mission of Mercy in 2020.

Jim's roots were decidedly Southern. Besides his birth in Charleston and most of his adult life in Richmond, he spent most childhood summers with his grandparents in Montgomery, AL. He often recalled experiences that evoked the simplicity of the 1950s. His recollections reflected the cultural influences of the era and environment of those three communities, and he applied his methodical and objective legal mind to develop a clear, measured, objective opinion of the trials and tribulations of the American South that he had witnessed firsthand.

What was perhaps Jim's most endearing habit was a reflection of his true enjoyment of his friends. Jim rarely called someone by their given name. He seemed to have a nickname for everybody he knew, and he made people feel special when he used them: Young Dude, Spanky, Torch, Big Money, Small Change, Ouijay, El Dave, Dauer, Action, Fraction, Tha, Phi, Squid, Boozle, Sweets, Fifi, Youngest Dude, Yardman, Beauty, Good Look and Dixie Belle. His circle of friends was wide-ranging. He accepted, even revelled in, all their quirks and foibles. He was able to identify and emphasize the best in people. He held strong opinions but managed not to be opinionated.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Florence Lewis and John Bonnar Shannon, Sr. He is survived by his devoted and beloved wife, Mary Beth Hamlin Shannon, of Richmond, Charlottesville and Wilmette; step-children, Caroline McKenna Finke and Hollis Hamlin Finke; his brother, Bonnar Shannon (Joy), of Raleigh, NC; niece, Heather Shannon Dietz (Keith), their children, Callan and Lilah; his nephews, John Bonnar (Trey) Shannon III (Amber), Drew Shannon (Megan) and their daughter, Bonnie Maeve; and a battalion of friends who will miss him.

Private burial services will be held at Hollywood Cemetery on Saturday, September 28; a Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, October 6th at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville from 3 to 5p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the charity of your choice, or to:

Mission of Mercy

Virginia Dental Association Foundation

3460 Mayland Court, Suite 110

Richmond, VA, 23233.