Franklin F. Snyder
Interview with
Franklin F. Snyder
Early Years
Q ..
I want to begin by asking you to tell me a little bit about your family and your
childhood.
A
Well, it's been a long time ago. I was born in Hogate, Ohio, which is a small town
in northwestern Ohio. It's claim to fame, I guess, is because the famous comedian,
Jerry Lewis, the man with the big mouth, you probably don`t even know who he
was, was born in Hogate. I went to school there through the grades. My father was
the mayor of the town for most of the time, and he died when I was in the 8th grade.
I had an older brother, five years older than I, who finished high school the
following year.
As a result of my father's death, my mother decided to take me to Toledo to give me
a chance at a better high school. So my mother and I moved to Toledo after 8th
grade and before I began high school. I went to Libbey High School in Toledo. She
put me through school by doing housework and other types of work. Part of the
time when she was engaged, I would be able to live there, and other times I lived
by myself.
The early years in Hogate were pleasant to remember. I mean we had normal
circumstances and my father had a grain and flour mill. Before that, he'd been in
the lumber business.
Q ..
Were you, did you have an interest in engineering or science before high school?
A
I was a prolific reader even in those early years. I would scrounge the neighborhood
for books to read, and I was always struck by the adventurist life of the civil
engineer. So, even while I was still a child, I had decided I was going to be a civil
engineer. So there was never any doubt in my mind as to what I wanted to do. I
don't know whether you are interested in anything more about the early years or
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