BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Don Snyder, the former president of Lehigh County Community College and a longtime state lawmaker, has died. He was 71.
Snyder served in the state House from 1981 to 2000, representing parts of southwest Lehigh County. During the late 1990s, he was part of the Republican leadership team in the House.
Charlie Dent, who served eight years in the state House with Snyder, said Snyder showed him the ropes when Dent took office in 1991. He remembered Snyder as a hard worker who was highly regarded by his colleagues. Snyder's son Sean would serve as Dent's legislative director in Congress.
"Don was certainly a very dedicated public servant," said Dent. "He was a strong voice for Lehigh County."
Pat Browne, the acting secretary of the treasury and a longtime state representative and senator for the Allentown area, described Snyder as affable man with a deep command of the issues.
Snyder was the Republican whip when Browne served in the House during the late '90s. As the name implies, many whips resort to intimidation tactics to secure votes, but Browne said Snyder took a different approach. He was such an effective advocate that he could get the support he needed through his knowledge and persuasion.
"I think it was a lot more effective because he showed the members he was an ally and not an adversary," Browne said. "He was someone who opened the door and brought you on board."
Browne said Snyder's humanity made as much an impression on him as his approach and command. When the state reformed its public welfare programs in the 1990s, Snyder spoke about the importance of protecting the poor even though he came from a well-off suburban district.
"Don had a very big heart. He cared about people," he said.
After Snyder's retirement from politics, he spent 13 years as president of LCCC.
"We are very sorry to hear of the loss of Donald Snyder," said Ann Bieber, the college's current president. "We thank him for his leadership and express our condolences to his family at this very sad time."
Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., said Snyder was a strong advocate for LCCC's Allentown campus. The main campus in Schnecksville was not easily accessible for many city students, which limited their options in building their careers.
"Don really was at the forefront of expanding the reach of the community college," Cunningham said.
While Snyder didn't have a history in academia usually associated with college presidents, he was a skilled communicator and marketer, Cunningham said.
Snyder helped shift dated perspectives about community colleges, making more people aware LCCC and similar schools are important training grounds for the local economy. The region's health care and industrial sectors rely on programs like LCCC's to fill hundreds of thousands of jobs, Cunningham said.
Snyder also was involved in numerous community activities and served on the boards of PBS39 and the Minsi Trails Council of Boy Scouts of America.
