Lonnie Hammargren

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren is a republican politician from Nevada and former lieutenant governor of Nevada.

Career

Medical career

Hammargren is a neurosurgeon who is known for operating on several notable boxers injured in boxing matches in Las Vegas including the attending physician to work on Deuk Koo Kim as he battled for his life after fighting Ray Mancini.Fact|date=November 2007 Lonnie spent several years as a NASA flight surgeon. Following Roy Horn's near-fatal Tiger Attack in 2003, Dr. Hammargren spoke up to correct misinformation in the press about the procedure Horn had received. [Cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-10-16-roy-update_x.htm |title=Doctors removed portion of Roy's skull |date=2003-10-16 |publisher="USA Today" |accessdate=2008-07-24]

Political career

Hammargren was Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 1995 - 1999. He lost his election bid in the primaries for that office again in 2006. [Cite web |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=32&year=2006&f=0&off=6&elect=2 |title=2006 Lt. Gubernatorial Republican Primary Election Results - Nevada |accessdate=2008-07-24 |publisher=Dave Leip - Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]

As of 2008, Hammargren was the honorary consul to Beliz.cite news |first=Tim |last=O'Reiley |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Working locally at trading globally |url=http://www.lvrj.com/business/28908124.html |work= Las Vegas Review-Journal |publisher= Las Vegas Business Press |date= 2008-09-21 |accessdate=2008-09-21 ]

The eccentric side

Hammargren built his house, Castillo del Sol, in 1969. [Cite book|last=Green |first=Michael S. |coauthors=Elan Penn |publisher=Penn Publishing Ltd |title=Las Vegas: A Pictorial Celebration |date=2006 |isbn=1402723857] Since then it has become a museum to Vegas' past. The house is usually open for tours on Nevada Day. Among his latest acquisitions is the "High Roller" roller coaster from the Stratosphere. His home has been featured on the Travel Channel's show "Vegas VIP Homes". [Cite web |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Jun-17-Mon-2002/living/18978512.html |title='Ripley's Believe It or Not' takes over Fremont Street Experience |accessdate=2008-07-24 |date=2002-06-17 |publisher="Las Vegas Review-Journal"] In 2008, he began building a replica Orion spacecraft to add to the collection.

On March 31, 2007, Lonnie held an "Awake Wake" for himself, in which he had a mock funeral service, a New Orleans style Jazz Funeral March back to his house, and buried himself in a sarcophagus in the Egyptian tomb in his garage. He emerged an hour later. [ cite web |url=http://www.argentiero.com/family/awakewake/ |title=The Awake Wake |accessdate=2007-05-01 |format= |work= ]

Lonnie has appeared in several films directed by fellow Las Vegas resident Ted V. Mikels, usually in small cameo roles.

External links

*imdb name|0358384|Lonnie Hammargren
* [http://nevadadays.org/ Lonnie Hammargren's web site]

References