LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A former dean of The Ohio State University at Lima was honored and recognized Tuesday evening.
Dr. John R. Snyder, Dean of OSU Lima from 2003 until 2013 and a professor emeritus in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, was awarded this year's recipient of the Violet I. Meek Town and Gown Award, an award that honors an individual who promotes education for citizenship at OSU Lima. Dr. Snyder has authored or co-authored more than 75 journal articles and 38 book chapters in laboratory management and allied health education while serving several local and national boards as well as pursuing several international projects in Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Zambia, Ethiopia, and South Africa. On Tuesday night, we talked with Dr. Violet Meek about why Dr. Snyder symbolizes the meaning of this award.
May 21, 2024, Press Release from The Ohio State University at Lima: Dr. John R. Snyder is the 2024 recipient of the Ohio State University at Lima’s Violet I. Meek Town and Gown Award.
The Violet I. Meek Town and Gown Award honorees personify the idea of Disciplina in civitatem, or education for citizenship, the motto of The Ohio State University. Snyder is the eighteenth recipient. The award is named for Violet I. Meek, who retired as dean and director in 2003 after 12 years in the position at Ohio State Lima. During her tenure, she was an ardent supporter and promoter of community growth and increased interaction between the university and the people and communities in its service area. As such, the board created an award in her honor to recognize those working toward similar goals.
Biography of John R. Snyder
Dr. John R. Snyder is a former dean of The Ohio State University at Lima (2003–2013) and a professor emeritus in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University.
Dr. Snyder’s research and publications have focused on laboratory management and allied health education. He has authored or co-authored more than 75 journal articles and 38 book chapters. He is perhaps best known for his editing of a three-edition textbook, Management in Laboratory Medicine.
He has served on the national boards of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, and the Clinical Laboratory Management Association.
Beyond the laboratory, Dr. Snyder served as a trustee for Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, including two years as board chair. He was also on the boards of the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities, the Allen Economic Development Group, and the Allen County Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He was the lead evaluator for a CDC-funded grant, Partnerships to Improve Community Health, and served as the executive director for the community health coalition Activate Allen County.
Through the course of his career, Dr. Snyder has served in a variety of international activities, including as a fellow for Project HOPE in Haiti, an external evaluator for medical technology at Kuwait University, and a curriculum consultant to the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia. He was also a training consultant in Zambia, Ethiopia, and South Africa to improve clinical laboratory services as part of the President’s Plan for AIDS Relief under the auspices of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
Past winners of the Violet I. Meek Town and Gown Award
David S. Adams, associate professor emeritus of sociology
Tom Francis, a popular media personality in Lima whose activities center around his commitment to the university and the community.
Clyde Rauch, the president of Tuttle Services, has worked diligently with Ohio State Lima and its co-located institution.
Bob Schulte, co-owner and Executive President of Spherion of Lima, Inc., and past campaign co-chair for Ohio State Lima’s comprehensive campaign
William V. Ackerman, associate professor emeritus of geography
Jaye E. McCain, a financial advisor for Edward Jones and Associates, past campaign co-chair for Ohio State Lima’s comprehensive campaign, and past board chair
Dr. Jon E. Rockhold, a former special assistant to the dean and director with a strong record of outstanding professional leadership in the community
Ora “Bud” Winzenried, past president of Kenton Structural and Ornamental Iron Works and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Ohio State Alumni Association
Mayor David J. Berger, mayor of the City of Lima, helped form the Joint Higher Education Task Force, which aimed to retain an Ohio State presence in Lima in the form of a four-year university.
William D. Angel, associate professor emeritus of political science
Joyce Tracy, adult educator at Apollo Career Center and workforce development and education advocate
William J. Sullivan, associate professor emeritus of English at Ohio State and longtime supporter of the arts in Lima and Allen County
George Brooks, the Market President of Northern Ohio at First Financial Bank, Van Wert, and a longtime supporter of the Ohio State Lima campus
Roger Nimps, a former assistant dean and lecturer in history
Martha “Martie” MacDonell, philanthropist and patron of the arts
William “Bill” Timmermeister, philanthropist and business owner
Karen Grothouse, a local business and community leader and Ohio State alumna
