Dr. Homer Leroy Shantz^[1]

1876 - 1958  (82 years)

• Name	Homer Leroy Shantz
  Prefix	Dr.
  Born	24 Jan 1876	, Kent Co., Michigan   [2]
  Gender	Male
  Eby ID Number	00110-6961.2
  Died	22 Jun 1958	Rapid City, Pennington, South Dakota, USA   [2]
  Person ID	I20180	Generations
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2025

  
  

  Father	Abraham K. Shantz,   b. 20 Sep 1844, Freeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Mary Ankony,   b. Abt 1844, Of, Colorado City, Pueblo, Colorado, USA ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F5024	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lucia S. Soper,   b. 30 Aug 1879, , Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 8 Nov 1954, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA  (Age 75 years)
  Children	1. Homer Leroy Shantz,   b. 12 Feb 1903, , USA ,   d. 31 Jan 1988, San Diego, San Diego, California, USA  (Age 84 years)   2. Ben Shantz,   b. 19 Jul 1904, Colorado Springs, El Paso, Colorado, USA ,   d. 2 Jan, Silver City
  Last Modified	4 Mar 2025
  Family ID	F8847	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos		Shantz, Homer Leroy postcard 1917.jpg Postcard 1917
  		Shantz, Homer Leroy formal.gif https://www.botany.org/newsite/awards/detail/merit.php

  
  

• Notes

  Shantz: Dr. Homer LeRoy Shantz, 82, notable father of Ben Shantz,prominent Silver City attorney, died Sunday, June 22, in Rapid City, South Dakota, of a heart attack. He was a frequent visitor at the home of his son here in recent years, the last visit being two weeks ago. At the time of his death he was actively engaged in a resurvey of the vegetation of the Northern Great Plains, a project sponsored by the University of Arizona, together with Prof. Walter S. Phillips, head of the Department of Botany. Dr. Shantz was born in Kent County, Michigan, Jan. 24, 1876. Hewas educated at Colorado College in Colorado Springs and the University of Nebraska. Thereafter he worked in the Bureau of Plant Industry of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for many years. He was professor of botany at the University of Illinois and president of the University of Arizona from 1928 to 1936, with an outstanding record as an educator during which the university made great progress. From 1936 to his retirement in 1944, he was the Chief of the Forest Service. But he never actually retired. Dr. Shantz made three extended trips through Africa and was the author of many articles on the soils and vegetation of Africa and of the Western United States. Fame International Dr. Shantz, internationally know plant geographer, ecologist, author and educator, received the outstanding achievement award for 1953 of the Associtation of American Geographers. The award was presented at the Association's 50th anniversary meeting in Philadelphia. In 1957, he recieved the National Society Botanical Award. In the geographic field, Dr. Shantz was best known for his map of native vegetation types in the United States. 1 1New Mexico Genealogy, History and Vital Records https://www.rootsweb.com/~nma/ Dr. Leroy Shantz lived in 1917 in Washington, DC.

  
  

• Sources

  [S10] Book - Vol II A Biographical History of Waterloo Township and other townships of the county : being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin..., 439. [S465] New Mexico Genealogy, History and Vital Records.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 24 Jan 1876 - , Kent Co., Michigan Died - 22 Jun 1958 - Rapid City, Pennington, South Dakota, USA  = Link to Google Earth