Donald E. Snyder

Donald Snyder, a 1949 Lincoln graduate, held a job in his youth at Nelson’s Bakery in Vincennes that was the forerunner of a long and rewarding career. Following an enlistment in the U.S. Air Force he returned to Nelson’s where, he recalls, "I became very curious as to what makes bread, pastries, cookies, and cake ingredients work together."

He found the explanation in schools he attended in Minnesota and Chicago, after which he was qualified in cereal chemistry and baking technology. After a brief return to Nelson’s he joined the Chicago firm J. W. Allen & Company to become a prepared mix formulator. In this role Snyder developed more than 60 new prepared mix products.

Eventually he would become a vice-president of the firm responsible for cereal mix labs and manufacturing of food products.

In the early 1960s Snyder worked with Harold’s Supermarket in Vincennes to install the first in-store bakery in southern Indiana. Snyder formulated all the prepared mixes for Harold’s bakery enterprise. Similar introductions were made in many stores across the U.S.
Years later Snyder teamed up with L. Karp & Sons, a company that sold bakery supplies but was not in the prepared mix business. With Snyder’s help eventually the firm became one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of bakery mixes, icings, fillings, flavorings, and muffin batters with nine company locations and more than 200 distributors.

Since retiring Snyder has been able to devote more time to service organizations. Years earlier while living in the Chicago area he was part of a Jaycee’s effort to inaugurate two groups for the handicapped. Today one of these organizations, Clearbrook Center, is one of the largest groups in the Midwest serving the mentally handicapped.

A similar interest continues today in Fort Myers, Florida, where Snyder is retired. He proudly speaks of the growth and contribution of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, of which he is a board member. During his time with the organization Goodwill stores in the area have grown to 29 outlets. Housing projects continue to be built for the handicapped allowing housing for 188 families. And more than 400 handicapped individuals have been trained to take productive jobs in the community.

For many years Snyder has been active in various levels of Masonry, including the Shrine. He is part of a voluntary group that works to support the 22 Children’s and Burns Hospitals affiliated with the Shrine throughout North America.

When he finds the time, Snyder will combine two of his favorite pastimes—fishing and boating. Starting years ago by dropping a line in a Knox County pond, Snyder graduated to Lake Michigan and now the Gulf of Mexico. And as the "ponds" got bigger, so did the boats. Today Snyder and his wife, Marye Lind, are active in powerboat cruising as members of the Royal Palm Yacht Club.