Jayne Adams Shannon Rodriguez
Marathon, FL: Jayne Adams Shannon Rodriguez, 59, Co-Founder, President and CEO of The Dolphin Research Center (DRC), passed away after a short illness on Monday, February 22, 2010 at Baptist Hospital in Miami, FL.
Jayne was a loving, devoted mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, partner, leader, mentor and friend. She is survived by: daughters Kelly Jayne and Shannon Rodriguez; partner Mandy Rodriguez; granddaughters Madison, Rylee, and Skyler; grandson Bryson; brothers and sisters William L. Shannon, Jr. (and wife Helen Kampion), Wayland, MA; Sharon Shannon Kissane (and husband James J. Kissane) of Wayland, MA, Elizabeth C. Shannon Kilburn of Wayland, MA, David F. Shannon (and wife Rhonda Shannon) of Ashland, MA, Christopher K. Shannon (and wife Gaye) of Uxbridge, MA, and Timothy R. Shannon (and wife Christine) of Framingham, MA, and 18 nieces and nephews, as well as by the entire DRC family of dolphins, sea lions, staff and volunteers who were blessed to have Jayne in their lives. She was pre-deceased by son Shawn and parents William L. Shannon and Elizabeth F. (Kinder) Shannon.
Born on December 19, 1950, in Wayland, MA, Jayne graduated from Wayland High School and Kathryn Gibbs Secretarial School. In 1971, she was picked to become the New England Aquarium’s (NEA) first female sea lion trainer. As a result, she appeared on the popular television shows To Tell the Truth, What’s My Line, and I’ve Got a Secret.
She and partner Armando “Mandy” Rodriguez first came to Marathon in 1973 to Flipper’s Sea School to assist with dolphins that were being transferred to the NEA. They were so impressed with the natural surroundings for the dolphins that they remained in the Florida Keys and Jayne acted as a trainer, narrator and Director of Husbandry for Flipper’s Sea School. When the facility was sold and became the Institute for Delphinid Research in 1977, Jayne became the General Manager.
In 1984, Jayne and Mandy formed the not-for-profit corporation of the Dolphin Research Center. Their goal was to ensure a permanent, safe home for the dolphins and sea lions and to educate people around the world about these amazing animals and the ocean environment.
Jayne’s leadership style combined hands-on guidance with open-hearted caring, a non-nonsense attitude, with generous support and encouragement. Her tremendous spirit and determination inspired everyone who was part of DRC and helped to make them not only a staff, but also a family.
Jayne also grew to be a formidable force in the marine mammal community in general. Through her involvement with the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, she represented DRC’s position and expertise on critical, government-related issues affecting dolphins and other marine mammals in human care as well as in the wild.
A celebration of life will take place at DRC on Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 3:30 PM until 6:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund in Jayne’s name has been established at Dolphin Research Center, 58901 Overseas Highway, Grassy Key, FL 33050.