George Snyder

George SNYDER Born at New York City, October 21, 1909, died at Bellevue, Washington, October 30, 2002. Having moved to Seattle 1910, he attended Garfield High School and the University of Washington; graduating in the first class of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering in 1931. Following graduation, he was employed as an aeronautical engineer by The Boeing Company from 1931 to 1972, except for one year in the early 1930's spent at NACA (predecessor to NASA). He rose to become Vice President of Engineering for the 747 program during the period of the 747's design and initial production. He served in numerous positions with Boeing from the time of the early flying boats, through the years of World War II, during which he was deeply involved in the design of the B-17 and the B-29, and then in the post-war era, he was involved in the design of the B-47 and management of various jet aircraft, missile and spacecraft programs. He was active in the aeronautics community all of his professional life, holding positions on various NACA technical committees regarding aircraft structures and serving on advisory panels to the Department of Defense. He was an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and recipient of the University of Washington College of Engineering Alumni Achievement Award in 1995. Following his retirement from Boeing in 1972, he was a consultant to Boeing, Israel Aircraft Industries and Atlas Aircraft, and served on the Bellevue Planning Commission. He was an ardent supporter of education, establishing an endowment at the University of Washington in aeronautics, and was active in the Garfield Golden Grads, supporting advanced education for deserving students. He and his late wife, Anita, were devoted supporters of Israel, the Seattle Opera and the Seattle Symphony. In later years, he enjoyed writing poetry and the company and correspondence of his many friends throughout the world. He was married to his late wife, Anita Rubenstein Snyder, for 67 years. He is survived by his sons, George of Huntington Beach, California, and Robert of Bainbridge Island, Washington; daughters-in-law DeDe and Sally; grandchildren Amy, Brent, Scott, Patrick, Cameron and Anna; and brother William Snyder. Funeral arrangements were by Butterworth-Arthur Wright Chapel; interment at Hills of Eternity Cemetery. Remembrances should be made to the George and Anita Snyder Fellowship in Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, College of Engineering, P.O. Box 352180, Seattle, WA 98195-2180.