Dr. Alton E. Shader; Surgeon

Dr. Alton E. Shader, a prominent Glendale surgeon for three decades and official of several Los Angeles medical societies, has died following a long fight with cancer.

Shader, 63, died Friday at Glendale Memorial Hospital, where he had served as a general and vascular surgeon.

A native of Ashland, Ohio, who graduated from Temple University Medical School and spent two years as a surgeon in the U.S. Army, Shader began practicing medicine in Glendale in 1965 and was elected president of both the Los Angeles County Society of Graduate Surgeons and the Los Angeles Surgical Society. He remained on the board of both organizations up to the time of his death and also served as an associate professor of surgery at USC.

An accomplished tennis player, as well, Shader captured a national championship as recently as 1993, when he won the National Public Parks doubles title for players 55 and over in competition held in Minneapolis.

Shader is survived by his wife, Joanne, four children and three grandchildren. Services are scheduled for 7 p.m. today at Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale.