Born in Cambridge Massachusetts, Senator Charles E. Shannon, Jr. graduated from Northeastern University in Boston. He served as a police officer for the town on Lexington for twenty years. In 1989, he was elected to a seat in the Middlesex State Senate representing the Second Middlesex District, which included the cities of Medford, Somerville, Winchester and Woburn. He served in the Senate, where he was the Chairman of the Ethics and Rules Committee, until 2005.
One of Senator Shannon's major legislative accomplishments was securing funding for the full reconstruction of the DCR's George Dilboy Memorial Stadium and Fields in Somerville, which was completed in 2006.
He was known as a man devoted to constituent services, and particularly interest in issues involving youth. In 1997, at the urging of second-graders at the Brown School in Somerville, Senator Shannon filed legislation to have the Boston Cream named the state's official doughnut. The legislation passed in 2003.
The video below is Part 1 of 3 of the dedication ceremony held on September 13, 2008 where the name of Sandy Beach on the Medford/Winchester line was officially changed to Shannon Beach.
I have the privilege of knowing Senator Charles E. Shannon and he always had an open door for me over the many years that he was in office. He always insisted that I call him "Charlie," and I always thought that I was special. After watching these videos, I found out that everyone who knew him called him "Charlie," and it is just another tribute to the gentleman who made everyone think that they were special!
