Lonnie Hammargren facts for kids

Lonnie Lee Hammargren (December 25, 1937 – June 13, 2023) was an American politician and neurosurgeon. He was elected a member of the non-partisan board of regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education, an office he held from 1988 to 1994; he was the former 31st lieutenant governor of Nevada, serving from 1995 to 1999 as a member of the Republican Party. As of 2022, he is the most recent Nevada lieutenant governor to have served under a governor from the opposing party, having served with Democrat Bob Miller.

He was also known for his "eclectic collection of artifacts, including old casino signs, and an Apollo space capsule".

Career

Medical career

Hammargren was a neurosurgeon who was first licensed in 1971 as the first neurosurgeon in the state of Nevada. Lonnie spent several years as a NASA flight surgeon. He also operated on boxer Duk Koo Kim in November 1982, following Kim's loss to Ray Mancini; Kim died as a result of his injuries in the fight.

Following Roy Horn's near-fatal tiger attack in 2003, Hammargren spoke up to correct misinformation in the press about the procedure Horn (of Siegfried & Roy) had received. Hammargren has collected some of the skulls and brains of his former patients.

According to Hammargren, he gave up surgery in 2005, when the cost for his malpractice insurance was raised to $275,000/year; in 2009, as part of a medical malpractice settlement, he agreed to give up surgery permanently, though he retained his medical license. Hammargren's Nevada medical license expired in 2017. According to the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners, Hammargren had 4 medical malpractice judgments against him that were $5,000 or more each.

Political career

From 1988 to 1994, Hammargren was a member of the board of regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Hammargren was the lieutenant governor of Nevada from 1995 to 1999. He lost his election bid in the primaries for that office again in 2006.

As of 2008, Hammargren was the honorary consul for Belize.

Personal life

Hammargren's Las Vegas home in 1980

Hammargren built his house, Castillo del Sol, in 1969, which he filled with various artifacts relating to Las Vegas history, and regularly opened it to public tours. Among his acquisitions were the High Roller roller coaster from the Stratosphere. His home has been featured on the Travel Channel's show Vegas VIP Homes. His collections eventually occupied two neighboring houses as well. In 2016, Hammargren and his collections were featured on an episode of the A&E series Hoarders. In the episode, it was revealed Hammargren had spent an estimated $10 million acquiring the artifacts and was $750,000 in debt. He sold some items at auction for a net gain of slightly over $4,000, which he planned to use to write his autobiography.

Hammargren married his wife Sandy in 1989, an event which in part was filmed for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

On March 31, 2007, Hammargren 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. In 2008, he began building a replica Orion spacecraft to add to the collection.

Hammargren died on June 13, 2023, at the age of 85.