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Laurence Hasbrouck Snyder was born on July 23, 1901. Born in Kingston NY, Snyder’s parents, DeWitt Clinton Snyder and Gertrude Wood Snyder conceived him in Africa, where they worked as Christian medical missionaries. During their time there, Snyder’s mother showed symptoms of hemoglobinuric fever, forcing them to return to the United States and end their missionary. Dewitt and Gertrude Snyder were of English and Dutch ancestry. Snyder spent his childhood in Staten Island, spending a lot of time in the woods, fields, and lakes. This inspired a deep interest in wildlife, particularly in birds. Later, in 1928, Snyder published an illustrated booklet, “Common Birds of North Carolina Farms, Gardens and Orchards”, studying birds in Raleigh, North Carolina. Snyder also researched on bird songs. Snyder attended Curtis High School in New York and was later accepted into Rutgers University. In 1922, he completed his bachelor of science degree at Rutgers, graduated, and entered the Graduate School of Harvard University, where he completed his doctor of science degree in 1926. After graduating from Rutgers, Snyder married Guldborg M. Herland in 1923. Herland was born and raised in Norway, but had been living in Staten Island at the time. By 1980, Snyder and Herland had 2 daughters, 9 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

On March 24th, 1956, Snyder became the first person to be the subject of the “Personality Portrait” section in the Saturday Review. He then became known as the “father of human genetics” and as an unorthodox but “legendary” piano player. He learned how to play piano entirely by ear, earning money in college by playing during silent movies while in the dark.

Before 1958, Snyder worked at several universities: as a professor in biology at North Carolina State College, a professor of medicine and genetics at Ohio State University, chair of Department of Zoology and Entomology as well as the graduate dean and professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma. Throughout his lifetime, Snyder received a plethora of honors and awards, some of which include: election into 18 honorary societies, national president of Phi Sigma from 1953 to 1963, honorary degrees from Sc.D., Rutgers, 1947; Sc.D., Ohio State, 1960; and L.H.D., North Carolina State 1962. During his tenure at the University of Oklahoma, Snyder made a stand against segregation in Oklahoma, denouncing the Oklahoma chapter of the AAUP. Snyder also became the president of the University of Hawaii from 1958-1963. By that time, he had already become a world-renowned geneticist [3]. During his time there, he published 3 books, more than 150 articles, and gave over a thousand lectures both at the school and abroad. His work included developing the science of medical genetics from its beginning to the present day, influencing the development of modern day DNA technology. Currently on the University of Hawaii campus is a major building named Snyder Hall, housing research contributing the medical field.

Snyder is also credited with collaborating with other countries to bring together the East and West. For example, during his tenure as the president of the University of Hawaii, the internationally famed East-West Center was established in 1960 and was funded by the U.S. Department of State. In 1961, as president of the 10th Pacific Science Congress, which congregated in the East-West Center that year, Snyder gave the presidential address to 60 countries represented by 2054 delegates. His address was named, “The Wheel Has Come Full Circle”. It became so acclaimed, it was published in both the Proceedings of the Congress, and even the Journal of the Philippine Federation of Private Medical Practitioners. Snyder also gave other lectures, such as one in 1960 in Japan during the invitational symposium on “Science and Civilization”. At the symposium, Snyder was one of three American scientists invited as well as three other Japanese philosophers. His talk there, entitled, “Human Individuality in Modern Civilization” also became so renowned that it appeared in official Japanese proceedings in both English and Japanese. In addition to Japan, Snyder visited and spoke in the Philippines (in over twenty Universities), Hong Kong, Okinawa, Taiwan, Thailand, and India. These visits and meetings with government officials from Pacific countries sparked interest and enthusiasm for the East-West Center and for a stronger relationship between the East and West.

Once retired, Snyder went back to teaching classes for medical students and local physicians. By this time, Snyder needed to update his knowledge of new findings in DNA chemistry, protein chemistry, and metabolic pathways. Snyder later finally settled in Hawaii before his death in 1986.