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From My Career Obiturary“I’ve been in the business for 55 years - teaching for 40. That’s enough,” said Dr. Richard Snyder who began singing in public at the age of five in Panama City. Dr. Snyder graduated from Bay High School where he was active in concert choir, ensemble, and JayBees. He attended Troy State College on full music scholarship and graduated with music honors and a Bachelor of Music Education degree. He was active in student affairs, officer in Phi Mu Alpha Professional Fraternity for Men, and assistant director of the Collegiate Singers and founder of the Madrigal. After teaching choral music at Fairhope High School, he returned to his alma mater, Bay County High School, in Panama City. While maintaining the standard of superior ratings in competitions and festivals, his choirs earned two invitations to the prestigious Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria, in 1975 and 1978. Dr. Snyder earned his Masters degree in Music Education in 1971 and his doctorate in Secondary/Music Education in 1977 from the University of Alabama. He then returned to Panama City before accepting the position of Division Chair of Fine Arts at Enterprise State Junior College in 1978. Between 1978 and 1990, Richard developed and directed a very popular and active dinner-theatre program for the college. Each year the college presented two full-length plays and a musical. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, No, No Nannette, South Pacific, and West Side Story were a few of the musical productions. During that same period, he led the Enterprise Community Chorus and the ESJC Singers in performances of choral masterworks including Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, and Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. In 1979 he collaborated with Randy Homes, choral director at Enterprise High School, to establish the popular annual Festival of Carols. His concert choirs and show choirs have earned the sterling reputation of being the best in the two-year college system and in the region. They consistently earned superior ratings and Best in Category awards in competition. The Entertainers is one of the most popular show choirs in the region, performing as many as fifty fast-paced choreographed performances annually. Dr. Snyder has been active in the development of music curriculum throughout his career. In Panama City he developed and directed a career education program in music performance, co-authored a position paper on music with the State Music Consultant, and was an officer in the Florida Vocal Association. In the State of Alabama, he has served on numerous state curriculum committees and chaired the committee that rewrote the freshman and sophomore music curriculum for Alabama state colleges and universities. He has served as music consultant and adjudicator throughout the south. Drs. Richard and Judy Snyder have shared their careers in education until last year when Judy retired. Their eldest son, Matt, teaches Biology at Sneads State Community College in Boaz, AL. And Ben works in corporate management with Blockbuster in Prattville, AL. Dr. Snyder intends to remain active in music, read, travel, hunt, golf, tend his garden and live life to its fullest. “I plan a life where I don’t have to check roll, do bed checks, or get so mad that the vein pops out in my forehead - a life where I don’t get a stomach ache before each performance – a life that is just a little quieter.” It is fitting that his final performance will be given in Panama City. His career in music began on the stage at Panama Grammar School singing in a show produced by the Kiwanis Club. It will end in McKenzie Park, 12:00 noon, Saturday, May 5th, with a show presented by his Entertainers of Enterprise-Ozark Community College. That is full circle.