SR1081 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1081 LRB096 24518 KXB 44325 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Paul B. Snider of Peoria, who passed away on November 19, 2010; and

WHEREAS, He was born on October 17, 1918, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Bernard and Mary Haeckle Snider; he married June Milner on June 8, 1946, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; he was a World War II veteran of the United States Army Signal Corps from 1942-46, he served in Washington, D.C., and then established and was in charge of United States Army Radiophoto stations in England, France, and Germany; and

WHEREAS, Before joining Bradley University in 1955, he taught at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and the University of Oregon in Eugene; at Bradley, he served as chairman of the journalism department from 1956 to 1970, and was on leave during 1967 to serve as Fulbright Professor at Kabul University, Afghanistan; while in Afghanistan, he was an accredited foreign correspondent for Time-Life; and

WHEREAS, He resigned from Bradley in 1970 to be the founding chairman of the department of mass communications at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon; he also lectured in Iran and Cyprus; he returned to Bradley in 1972, as professor of journalism; in 1976, he received Bradley's Putnam Award for Excellence in Teaching; on his retirement in 1985, Bradley's Board of Trustees appointed him Emeritus Professor of Communication; and

WHEREAS, His education included a B.J. from the University of Missouri-Columbia; an M.A. from the University of Oregon-Eugene; and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, Iowa City; he was a retired member of the Society of Professional Journalists, Association for Education in Journalism, Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Tau Alpha, and Kappa Alpha Mu; and

WHEREAS, He had published articles in many national and international scholarly publications and several U.S. and international newspapers; in 1996, Bradley journalism alumni established two endowed funds in his name, the Dr. Paul B. Snider Award for Teaching Excellence in Communication and the Dr. Paul B. Snider Journalism Scholarship; and

WHEREAS, As a journalist, starting in 1936, he worked in the newsphoto division of UPI (United Press International) in Cleveland, and after World War II was manager of the Detroit Bureau, resigning in 1951 to complete his education; after coming to Peoria, for several years he worked summers at the Peoria Journal Star and WEEK-TV, Channel 25; in 1973, he was host and producer of "Urban Issues" on WTVP, Channel 47; from 1976-79, he was the "Media Man," critiquing the media on WEEK-TV, Channel 25; and

WHEREAS, He had served as president of the Illinois Valley Press Club, the Board of Directors of the Illinois Heart Association, and was a member of the American Heart Association National Public Relations Committee and Faith, Hope, and Love (prison ministry); he also had been a member of the Peoria Human Relations Committee and foreman of a Peoria County grand jury; and

WHEREAS, For several years, he was a tutor in the Common Place adult literacy program; he was a member of the former Arcadia Avenue Presbyterian Church and a Presbyterian lay minister; he was active from 1978 to 1999 in Cursillo in Christianity, including its prison ministry program; from 2003, as a member of First United Methodist Church of Peoria, he had been active in Caring Hearts, Loaves and Fishes, and Neutral Ground (HIV/AIDS) programs; and

WHEREAS, With his wife and children, he had traveled widely abroad; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents; and

WHEREAS, Paul Snider is survived by his wife; his sons, David Snider and Myk Snider; his daughter, Kathie Downs; and his granddaughters, Julia and Lindsey; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Paul Snider; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Paul Snider as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.