University Park, Pa. -- Obie Snider of Imler, Pa., former chairman of Penn State's Board of Trustees, was killed in a traffic accident on Thursday, Dec. 18.
Snider, who continued to serve the University as a trustee emeritus, was the first agriculturalist to serve as chairman of the board in more than a century when he was elected to the position in 1985. He was re-elected chairman of the Board in 1986 and 1987.
"Obie's death is a great loss to the entire Penn State family," said University President Graham B. Spanier.
"His decades of service to the University reached into every corner of one of the largest, most complex institutions in higher education," Spanier said. "While committed to taking on the really big tasks to help guide Penn State, Obie also made time to host scores of faculty at his Singing Brook Farm."
"Our condolences go out to his wife, Mary Ann, and the entire Snider family over this terrible loss," he said.
Snider was elected to the Board of Trustees by the delegates from agricultural societies in 1979 and reelected for succeeding terms.
During his 21 years on the Board of Trustees, he served on all committees and represented the Board at numerous commencements. He served on the presidential selection committees in 1981, 1990 and 1995; as representative at the Alumni Association executive board in 1996-97; as liaison with the department of intercollegiate athletics in 1989-90; as liaison for economic development from 1993-95; as chairman of The Corporation for Penn State from 1985-87; as a member of the Research Park Management Corporation from 1993-95; and as chair of the Distinguished Alumni Screening Committee in 1982, and 1984 through 1988.
Snider received the status of trustee emeritus on July 14, 2000, and he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the University.
He was a 1950 graduate of Penn State with a degree in dairy husbandry and was active statewide and nationally in community and agricultural affairs.
He served as a director of the Penn State College of Agriculture Alumni Association and chaired the Ag Arena Fund-Raising Committee. He and Mary Ann were important contributors toward the funding of Penn State's Ag Arena. Snider was president of the Pennsylvania All-American Dairy Show and is a former national director of Holstein Association USA.
He was a member of the Mount Nittany Society, Gamma Sigma Delta, Alpha Zeta, Epsilon Sigma Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa.
Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at East Freedom Chapel, Mount Pleasant Extension, in East Freedom, Pa. A Penn State memorial service has been set for Saturday, Jan. 10, on the University Park campus. The service will begin at 1 p.m. in Worship Hall of the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, with a reception to follow.