James Shannon Presidential Papers
James Patrick Shannon (1921- 2003) Papers
RS 02/12/02
Biographical Sketch:
James P. Shannon was born on February 16, 1921 in South St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended St. Thomas Military Academy graduating 1938. Completing his college coursework in just three years, Shannon received a bachelor’s degree in classics from the College of St. Thomas in 1941.
Shannon attended St. Paul Seminary and was ordained into the priesthood on June 8, 1946. His first assignment was as assistant pastor to Cathedral parish in St. Paul. In 1948, he was appointed Associate Professor of Greek and English at Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary where he taught until 1950. Shannon received a master's degree in English from the University of Minnesota in 1951 and completed a Ph.D. in American Studies at Yale University in 1955. His dissertation, Catholic Colonization on the Western Frontier, was published by Yale University Press in 1957.
Shannon was appointed Assistant Professor of History at the College of St. Thomas in 1954. Only two years later, the college’s Board of Trustees named him President of the College of St. Thomas and St. Thomas Military Academy. During his tenure as president, the college grew physically, with the construction of a new library, a student union and a residence hall. The “Program for Great Teaching” development campaign allowed the school to increase its endowment as well as improve its academic programs and reputation. He served as president of St. Thomas Academy until 1965, when the academy moved from the College of St. Thomas campus to a site in Mendota Heights.
Shannon was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul in 1965. The press of duties from this position compelled him to resign as president of St. Thomas in 1966. He then was named pastor of the Church of St. Helena in Minneapolis where he served until November 1968.
From 1956-1968, Shannon participated in many religious and educational organizations including the National Catholic Educational Association, the Association of American Colleges and the Minnesota Private College Council. Shannon was a very visible member of the clergy, speaking out against the war in Vietnam and appearing with Martin Luther King in Selma, AL. He was also a delegate from the Archdiocese of St. Paul /Minneapolis to the Second Vatican Council.
Shannon took a leave of absence from his position as bishop in 1968, accepting a position on the faculty of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. Shannon resigned from his bishopric in late 1968. He was offered the position as Vice President at St. John’s College and continued in the position until 1970 when it evolved in the position of Provost. In 1970, he entered the University of New Mexico School of Law, graduated in 1973, and practiced law in Santa Fe until 1974.
Shannon married Ruth Wilkinson in August 1969, which resulted in his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. A new code of Canon Law, enacted in 1983, abolished this penalty and allowed him to remain a Roman Catholic while "suspending" him from his apostolic role as a priest.
Shannon became Executive Director of the Minneapolis Foundation in 1974 remaining with this organization until 1978. In 1980, Shannon accepted as position as Associate Director of the General Mills Foundation and was quickly promoted to Vice-President and Executive Director of the Foundation, a position he held to 1988.
James Patrick Shannon passed away August 28, 2003 in Wayzata, MN.
Scope and Content:
This collection contains correspondence and subject files primarily from the years Shannon was president of the College of Saint Thomas (1956-1966). The records document both the operation of the College of St. Thomas and St. Thomas Academy as well Shannon’s interaction with regional and national educational organizations.
Other Resources:
Quick Reference File, University of St. Thomas Archives (includes biographical materials and newsclipping files)
James P. Shannon Papers, Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, Minnesota.
(available at http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00085.html)
Shannon, James, Catholic Colonization on the Western Frontier, Yale University Press, 1957.
Shannon, James, Reluctant Dissenter, Crossroad Publishing Company, New York: 1998.
Processed: April 2001 by Ian Stade. Additions November 2003 and September 2004
INVENTORY:
Box/Folder
Series I. Speeches and Writings
1/1 Interview by Al Smeby, 1941
1/2 Speeches and Writings, nd., 1953 – 1969
Includes:
- “Archbishop Ireland’s Experiences as a Civil War Chaplain, Catholic Historical Review, Vol 39, No. 3, Oct 1953.
- Inaugural Address, May 8, 1957
- “Our Neglected Heritage,” Villa Madonna College, June 3, 1957
- “The Irish Catholic Immigration,” Roman Catholicism and the American Way of Life, University of Notre Dame Press, 1960
- “Apostolate of Excellence,” National Catholic Education Association, April 22, 1960
- “Minnesota, the Civil War, and the Sioux Uprising,” Minnesota Legislature, March 2, 1961
- Opening Convocation, September 20, 1961
- “Over the Counter,” The Business History Review, Vol 35, No. 3, Autumn 1961
- “Pink Professors and Blue Businessmen,” St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, May 9, 1962
- “Pink Professors and Blue Businessmen, Alumni News, June 1962
- Vatican II Council, Holy Name Rally, September 30, 1962
- “Meeting Modern Man,” Mass for Shut-Ins, March 10, 1963
- “The Tradition of Respectful Argument,” reprint from Aquin, March 1963
- “This New Generation,” America, October 5, 1963
- Sermon at Requiem Mass for President John F. Kennedy, Cathedral of St. Paul, November 25, 1963
- “Tradition of Respectful Argument,” The Benet, December 1963
- “On Academic Freedom,” Aquin, April 10, 1964
- A College President Speaks His Mind, College of St. Thomas, 1965
- “Pastors of the Church: The Authority of Service,” Liturgical Conference, August 1965
- On Schema 13, October 4, 1965 (for St. Paul Dispatch)
- “Report from Rome,” November 17, 1965 (for St. Paul Dispatch)
- “The Challenge of the Creative Teacher, Education Age, Jan/Feb 1966
- “Catholic Magazine Publishing as I See It,” Catholic Press Association, May 12, 1966
- “The Farewell of a College President,” St. Thomas Bulletin, July 1966
- “American Catholics and Vietnam,” Commonweal, Vol 89, No. 21, February 28, 1969
- “The Church and Change,” The Priest, June 1969
- Catholic Bulletin, Column No. 2, nd.
- “The Case for the Liberal Arts College,” nd.
- “The Catholic College in the Age of Renewal,” nd.
- “Changes Challenges, Controversy, and Colleges,” nd.
- “Ferment and Freedom on the Campus,” nd.
- “Liberal Arts Education for a Twentieth Century Aristocracy,” Macalester College, nd.
- The President’s Corner, nd
- Scholars and Vatican II, nd (for Our Sunday Visitor)
1/3 Student Convocations 1960-1964
7/1 "The Pilgrim Church" columns published in The Catholic Bulletin nd, 1967 – 1968
7/2 "The Pilgrim Church" columns published in Our Sunday Visitor 1967 – 1969
7/3 Correspondence re: columns 1967 – 1968
7/4 Responses to Our Sunday Visitor columns 1967 - 1968
Series II. College of St. Thomas
A.Subject Files
1/4 Articles of Incorporation 1945 - 1966
1/5 Board of Trustees Meetings, Materials Distributed 1963-1964
1/6 Board of Trustees Meeting Dec. 27, 1962
1/7 Board of Trustees Meeting April 1, 1965
1/8 Board of Trustees Meeting Aug. 12, 1965
1/9 Board of Trustees Meeting Feb. 11, 1966
1/10 Board of Trustees, Prospective Trustees 1960
1/11 Board of Trustees, Trustee Training 1963-1965
1/12 Campus Expansion, New Buildings 1956-1957
1/13 Dowling Hall 1956-1960
1/14 Foley Theater 1958
1/15 Garage and Shops Building 1957
2/10 Inauguration Resolutions 1957
6/3 Inauguration Photograph Album 1957
1/16 Murray Hall 1955-1957
2/1 Murray Hall 1957-1960
2/2 O’Shaughnessy Library 1957-1958
2/3 Administrative Council 1959-1963
2/4 Administrative Staff Meetings 1962-1963
2/5 Faculty Service Committee 1956, 1961
2/6 Family Research Institute 1965
2/7 Management Center 1956 – 1957, 1966
2/8 Flynn, (Joseph Patrick) Memorial Fund 1956
2/9 Flynn Chair of English Letters 1956-1965
2/11 MIAC, Financial Aid to Athletes 1956-1961, 1963-1964
2/12 MIAC Aid to Athletes 1956-1957
2/13 MIAC Meetings 1958-1963
2/14 Plans for the Future of St. Thomas 1956
2/15 Plan for the Training of Teachers 1965
2/16 Reorganization, Daggett/Faricy Report 1961-1962
2/17 Staff Reorganization 1958
2/18 Deans Meetings 1960-1962
3/1 Saint John Vianney Seminary, Early Developments 1959
3/2 Saint Thomas Academy, Articles of Incorporation and By-laws 1962-1963
3/3 Saint Thomas Academy, General 1957-1958
3/4 Saint Thomas Academy, Movement Off Campus 1956-1958
7/14 Saint Thomas Academy, Separation from the College 1963-1965
3/5 Faculty Retirement Pay Plan 1962
3/6 Salaries and Scales 1955-1964
3/7 Salaries, Priest 1957, 1960, 1962
3/8 Master of Education Program 1958
B. Correspondence
6/5 "A" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/6 "B" Correspondence 1960-1961
3/9 Binz, Leo, General Correspondence 1961-1962
3/10 Binz, Leo, Re: Ford Grant, Capital Campaign 1962-1964
3/11 Binz, Leo, Re: St. Thomas Military Academy 1962-1963
3/11a Board of Trustees Correspondence 1956 -1968
7/9 Brady, William O, Correspondence 1956-1962
6/7 Business Office Correspondence 1961
6/8 "C" Correspondence 1960-1961
3/12 Chancery Correspondence 1953-1962
6/9 "D" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/10 "E" Correspondence 1960-1961
3/13 Eddy, Clyde Correspondence 1965-1966
6/11 "F" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/12 Flynn Lecture Correspondence 1960-1961
3/14 Flynn, Vincent Correspondence 1954-1955
6/13 Ford Foundation Correspondence 1960-1961
6/14 "G" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/15 "H' Correspondence 1960-1961
6/16 "K" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/17 "L" Correspondence nd., 1960-1961
3/15 Leyden, Don Correspondence 1960-1961
6/18 "Mc" Correspondence 1960-1962
3/16 McNamara, Con Correspondence 1958
6/19 "M" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/20 "N" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/21 "O" Correspondence 1961
6/22 "P" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/23 "Q" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/24 "R" Correspondence 1961
6/25 "S" Correspondence nd, 1959-1961
6/26 Saint Paul Academy Correspondence 1964-1965
6/27 Schauinger, Herman Correspondence nd, 1960-1961
6/28 "T" Correspondence 1960-1961
6/29 United Fund Correspondence 1961
6/30 University of Minnesota Correspondence 1960-1961
6/31 Upper Midwest Research and Development Council 1960-1961
6/32 "W" Correspondence 1960-1961
Series III. External Affairs
A. Subject Files
3/17 Higher Education Facilities Act 1964-1965
3/18 North Central Exam 1958
3/19 North Central Inspection 1958
3/20 National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) 1964-1967
3/21 Air Force ROTC, General 1957-1966
3/22 Diocesan Colleges, General 1961
7/10 Ford Foundation, Profile of the College of St. Thomas 1962
7/11 Ford Foundation, Program for Great Teaching 1955- 1961
7/12 Ford Foundation, Program for Great Teaching 1962- 1968
4/1 Ford Foundation, Program for Great Teaching Jan. 1962-June 1962
4/2 Ford Foundation, Program for Great Teaching July 1962-Dec. 1963
4/3 Ford Foundation, Program for Great Teaching 1964-1965, 1968
7/13 Program for Great Teaching, Statement from the Board of Trustees 1963
4/4 Potential Donors to St. Thomas 1959-1962
4/5 Hill Family Foundation, Area Studies Program, Chairman 1958-1959
4/6 Hill Family Foundation, Area Studies Program, General 1956-1959
4/7 Hill Family Foundation, Area Studies Program, General 1960-1966
4/8 Maritano, Fr. 1961-1963
4/9 Hill Family Foundation, Math Grants 1964-1967
4/10 Hill Family Foundation, Summer Workshop for Teachers 1958, 1965
4/11 3M Assistance Grant to Education 1963
4/12 Esso Foundation 1960-1965
4/13 Federal Housing Loan [Dowling Hall], 1957-1958
4/14 Federal Housing 1958, 1964
4/15 Minnesota Private College Fund 1962-1964
5/1 Vocational Rehabilitation Grant 1963
5/2 Survey re: Medical Schools and Medical Education 1959-1960
5/3 NSF Botanical Laboratory 1964
5/4 NSF Summer Institutes 1958-1962
5/5 NSF Summer Institutes 1963-1966
5/6 Minnesota Private College Council 1957-1966
5/7 National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), College and
University Department, Executive Committee Minutes 1963-1966
5/7a Pioneer Club 1957-1960
5/8 Faculty Salaries at other colleges 1958-1962
5/9 Knox College Long Range Planning Seminar 1962
7/6 National Catholic Welfare Conference/ National
Conference of Catholic Bishops, Reports and Correspondence 1964 – 1968
7/7 National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Press Briefings and Releases 1966 - 1968
B. Correspondence
5/10 Various n.d., 1959, 1964
5/11 Foley, Edward T., Correspondence 1958-1959
5/12 Humphrey, Hubert H., Correspondence 1957-1962
5/13 O’Shaughnessy, I.A., Correspondence 1956-1957
5/14 Papal Orders on ordination as Bishop 1965
5/15 Miscellaneous Correspondence (Includes Telegram from MLK) 1946-1966
Series IV. Personal Materials
6/1 Certificate - Great Eastern Forensic Tournament 1939
6/2 Msgr. John A. Ryan Award 1991
7/8 Newsclipping re: resignation as Auxiliary Bishop 1969
Series V. Memorabilia
Box 8
Plaques – CST Board of Trustees
GSB Guest Lecturer
UST President's Council
Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research
Medal - CST Centennial Medal
Box 9 & 10
Academic Robes and Hoods
Oversize
Coat of Arms as Bishop
