Darl Everett Snyder

Darl Everett Snyder died February 25, 2017, just eight days short of his 95th birthday. He was born March 5, 1922 on a farm in Humeston, IA, to sharecroppers Hallard Cecil Snyder, Sr. and Fannie Mae Miller. He received his elementary education in a one-room schoolhouse, then graduated with 22 classmates from Titonka High School before attending Iowa State University in Ames IA. His college years were interrupted by wartime service in the Army Air Corps, where he trained as a meteorologist and was deployed to Italy to monitor weather conditions for American troops stationed in Europe. Upon his honorable discharge from military service, he returned to Iowa State University where he became active in FarmHouse Fraternity. After graduating in 1947 with a BS degree in horticulture, Darl was employed by the Standard Oil Company of Indiana. His first assignment took him to Benton Harbor MI, where he oversaw pesticide testing activities in local orchards. From there, he transferred to the company’s Chicago office where he was appointed Chief Entomologist. After meeting Florence Millington Heath at the Sunday Nighters’ young adult group at Bryn Mawr Church, they married in April 1953. Their only child, Cherie Louise, was born in June of the following year. The Snyders moved to Richmond VA in 1957 where Darl worked with Diamond Alkali before relocating to LaGrange IL in 1959 and serving as Director of Development and Public Relations for Elmhurst College in Elmhurst IL. From 1959-63, he also served as part-time executive director of FarmHouse International Fraternity, assuming this role full-time from 1963-69. His tenure included the chartering of five chapters, establishment of the first educational program in the Fraternity's Regional Leadership Conferences and the creation of The FarmHouse Foundation. Together, he and Flo edited and published the fraternity’s national magazine, The Pearls and Rubies. Darl also attended the University of Chicago part-time during these years and earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration in 1969. Throughout his service to FarmHouse, Darl lived a life which was always exemplary of FarmHouse ideals. Noting that the organization owed much of its strength and progress to his efforts, in 1970 FarmHouse conferred upon Darl its Master Builder award, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an alumni member, and also established the Darl E. Snyder Award to recognize those associate and alumni members who, like Darl, have contributed by their deeds to the growth and development of the Fraternity. Darl first became affiliated with The University of Georgia in July 1969 as a Program Specialist at the Rural Development Center (RDC) in Tifton GA. He became director in July 1972, and remained at RDC until 1974, when he attended North Carolina State University and earned a doctorate in Adult Education and Community Colleges. In September 1975, Dr. Snyder was appointed Director of International Programs in Agriculture on campus at UGA in Athens. In 1977, he was appointed as the University’s Director of International Development. He became Director of the Office of International Development at UGA in 1989. With credit for 27 years of service with UGA, he retired in June 1992. Accomplishments during his years at UGA included: • Initiating the development of a proposal that led USAID to award UGA a contract to implement a worldwide Collaborative Research Support Program on peanuts (Peanut CRSP) in 1980. To date, this program has brought UGA over $100 million. • Playing an instrumental role in having UGA selected to team with Tuskegee University in the implementation of a USAID-funded agricultural human resource development (AgHRD) project in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso); then serving as Technical Director. • Establishing an agricultural research station at the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. • Bringing 20 students from the University of Ouagadougou to the USA for advanced degrees and implementation of new courses at the University of Ouagadougou. • Encouraging and supporting faculty in the development of the African Studies Program at UGA, which was approved and implemented in 1987, then elevated to Institute status in 2001. During his 27-year career at UGA Darl made over 35 trips to Africa establishing partnerships with government, agriculture and education sectors to support societal development, particularly in Burkina Faso. After his retirement from UGA, his beloved wife Flo and daughter Cher accompanied him on three trips each to Burkina Faso, home of Africa's Sustainable Development Council (ASUDEC), a non-governmental organization developed by UGA graduate Dr. Salibo Some, long championed by the Snyder family. In late 1992, Darl and Flo retired to Canterbury Court, a retirement community in Atlanta where they were active in numerous service, educational, and community activities, not the least of which was volunteering at the Canterbury Court Cash & Carry (“4 Cs”) store on campus. Following Flo’s death in 2007, Darl remained at Canterbury Court for another three years. In 2010 he moved to the Forum, a retirement community in Peoria AZ where younger brother Clair resided. There, the Snyder brothers were nearly inseparable, happily rekindling their ties and engaging in playful sibling rivalry. In late 2012, Darl relocated to the Mt. San Antonio Gardens retirement community in Pomona CA to be closer not only to daughter Cher, but also to younger sister Bonnie who lived in Riverside CA. He and Cher enjoyed frequent visits with Bonnie until her death in 2014. At the time of his passing, Darl and Cher were visiting the UGA campus to attend the 25th Annual Snyder Lecture for the African Studies Institute, a lecture series established in 1992 to bring accomplished scholars in African Studies to the UGA campus in honor of Darl’s dedication to research and service learning programs in Africa. On February 22, just hours after being transported to the ER at St. Mary’s Hospital following a fall in his hotel room, Darl became groggy, fell asleep, then lapsed into unconsciousness from which he never awoke. Cher remained his constant companion in the ICU and palliative care units until he passed away peacefully three days later. Darl was a true gentleman and a scholar, a role model to many for his spirit of service, compassion for others, commitment to life-long learning and mentorship. He was predeceased by brothers Harold (1922), Hallard Jr (1973), and Cecil (2002), and is survived by his devoted daughter, Dr. Cher Snyder of Diamond Bar CA, his beloved brother Clair Snyder of Phoenix AZ, his dear sisters-in-law Philliss Snyder of Anaheim CA and Jackie Schneidewind of Lake Havasu AZ, many wonderful nieces and nephews and their children, and an incredible panoply of cherished friends all over the world, all of whom will miss his quick wit, twinkling eyes, and indomitable spirit. A celebration of Darl’s life and legacy is being held on the day that would have been his 95th birthday – Sunday, March 5th – at 2:00 pm in Masters Hall at UGA’s Georgia Center for Continuing Education. Those unable to attend in person are invited to view this event via live stream. Instructions for connecting to the live feed will be posted in a forthcoming journal entry at https://www.caringbridge.org/public/darlsnyder. Tax-deductible contributions to honor and sustain Darl's dedication to educational projects in Africa may be sent by check to the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, 124 Old College, Athens GA 30602 (attn: Suzi Wong, Director of Principal Gifts). Please make checks payable to the UGA Foundation; in the memo line please write "Darl Snyder Legacy Fund for Studies in Africa".