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Guide to the Russel Lester Snyder Papers and Photographs, 1943-1945

Arrangement

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Russel Lester Snyder Papers and Photographs
Creator
Snyder, Russel Lester, 1907-1994
Collection Number
Russel Lester Snyder Papers and Photographs
Extent
3.0 linear feet (3 boxes)
Date
1943-1945
Abstract
This collection contains personal letters, drawings, and sketchbooks by Russel Lester Snyder during his service in the 1903rd Engineer Aviation Battalion in World War II from 1943 to 1945. The collection also includes photographs related to Snyder and the 1903rd Engineer Aviation Battalion during World War II.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by G.B. Anderson in 2008. Processing was completed by Amanda Peters, student intern from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in November 2011.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

Russel Lester Snyder was born on June 21, 1907, in Youngstown, Ohio. He studied fine arts at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In August 1943, Snyder was drafted by the U.S. Army.

After doing various jobs for the U.S. Army throughout the United States, Snyder was sent to the Pacific, in February 1945, as a private first class in the 1903rd Engineer Aviation Battalion. There he served as a camouflage technician. His unit's mission was to build and repair airfields on the small island of Ie Shima off the western coast of Okinawa, Japan. Throughout his time in the service, Snyder continued to sketch the people and places around him using a variety of media including pen and ink, charcoal, pencil, pastel, watercolor and mixed media.

After the war, Snyder worked for a company in which he obtained contracts to design and produce yearbooks for both colleges and high schools in Pennsylvania and Ohio. After his retirement, Snyder became interested in exhibiting his artwork.

In the early 1960s Snyder applied for juried membership in the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and the Watercolor Society. For ten years he exhibited in the juried shows of the Associated Artists at Carnegie Museum and received two merit awards from the Watercolor Society. Snyder also exhibited at the Three Rivers Art Festival and the National Jury Show at Chautauqua Art Institute in New York.

He died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 24, 1994.

Scope and Content Notes

The Russel Lester Snyder Papers and Photographs consist of three archival boxes and arranged into three series. The series designations are as follows: World War II Correspondence and World War II Photographs, Sketches, and Sketchbooks, and Oversize Material.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Lucinda K. Urash, daughter of Russel Lester Snyder, on July 18, 2008.

Preferred Citation

Russel Lester Snyder Papers and Photographs, 1943-1945, MSS#659, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Amanda Peters in November 2011.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Watercolor Society (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Personal Names

    • Snyder, Russel Lester, 1907-1994
    • Snyder Mary Belle

    Other Subjects

    • World War II--Pacific campaign
    • World War II--Art
    • United States Army--1903rd Engineer Aviation Battalion
    • United States Army--Aviation Engineers of the 1903rd Engineering Aviation Battalion
    • Art--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh

Container List