Brian A. Snow, former general counsel emeritus for the university, has died at 79
Brian A. Snow, former general counsel emeritus of the Colorado State University system, died Aug. 29. He was 79.
In 1987, Snow was appointed by Gov. Roy Romer to serve on the CSU system’s Board of Governors. Snow resigned about a year later to become general counsel for the board and the CSU system. He served in that capacity from 1988 to 2003, working closely with President and Chancellor Albert C. Yates.
“I knew Brian Snow for almost 30 years, as a devoted husband and exemplary family man. I remember him so well in the 1990s sharing with me his thoughts on national politics and his world of experience,” said Ken Salazar, former U.S. senator and secretary of the interior, in a written tribute. “I remember his unequivocal love for his nation and humanity and his unwavering view that we were on a march toward a more perfect union. I talked to him a few weeks before he passed. Brian was still as sharp as ever, troubled by the crises our nation faces, and resolute in that we would find a better way forward. We will carry on his legacy in our words and deeds.”
Born Feb. 5, 1941, in Jasper, Ark., to Mayme Cordelia House Snow and Claude E. Snow, he earned a master’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas. Snow later graduated from the Duke University School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal.
Snow worked as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal and served as an assistant dean and associate professor of law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He practiced law in Denver for several years.
On May 10, 1986, Snow married Eugenie “Crisse” Sontag in Denver. She was in his arms when he died.
“Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his 20s, Brian lived his entire life ‘like he was running out of time,’ ” said longtime friend and colleague Bill Thro in a written tribute. “He had an insatiable intellectual curiosity. He always was reading three or four books, subscribed to five daily newspapers, and took theology classes at a local seminary for fun.”
Snow took courses toward a master’s of religion degree at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. In 1999, Snow received the Oliver P. Pennock Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the university as a faculty member in the School of Education.
Snow was a life member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of
College and University Law and the authors committee for the Education Law Reporter.
Snow served as president of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Colorado, president of the Washington Park United Church of Christ and as a member of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins and the Environmental and Transportation Committee of the Denver Chamber of Commerce.
Snow is survived by his wife; sons Andrew and Anthony; a brother, Steve; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Duke University Law School, Alumni and Development Office, 210 Science Drive, Box 90389, Durham, NC, 277080389.