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Family members; friends; and University of Wisconsin Oshkosh faculty, staff and retirees gathered Dec. 5 at the Pollock Alumni House for a ceremony dedicating the new Dr. Robert L. Snyder Scholarship.

The scholarship, established at the time of Robert “Doc” Snyder’s death in April 2008, is fully endowed and will be awarded to a radio-TV-film (RTF) student in April 2010.

“We celebrate the Robert Snyder family for their commitment to continue Doc Snyder’s legacy with this scholarship,” said College of Letters and Science Dean John Koker. “With this scholarship, they will inspire a new generation of students.”

In 1964, Snyder started the RTF program at what was then Wisconsin State University. He also was responsible for creating the campus radio station, WRST (Wisconsin Radio Station of the Titans), out of a former lumber company office near the Fox River. Today, WRST, a partner of Wisconsin Public Radio, broadcasts 24 hours a day at nearly 1,000-watts as well as online at www.uwosh.edu/wrst.

At the Dec. 5 ceremony, Chancellor Richard H. Wells announced that Irene Snyder will donate the Robert (Doc) Snyder Jazz Collection to the UW Oshkosh Music Department. The collection includes the following:

  • More than 1,900 jazz CDs, a comprehensive historical collection that includes entire catalogues from many labels as well as modern releases.
  • 3,000-4,000 LPs in mint condition.
  • More than 300 books on jazz, culture, popular music and classical music.
  • Nearly the entire set of Downbeat Magazines from the late 1940s/early 1950s through 2008.
  • Hundreds of personal photographs of jazz musicians taken by Snyder and the late jazz historian John Miner.

Photos by See Xiong.

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