Albert Conrad Snell ’35

Al, also known to us as “Albie,” died peacefully April 20, 2010.  

Born in Rochester, N.Y., Al came to us from The Hill School. At Princeton he majored in biology and was a member of Cloister Inn. His roommate junior and senior years was Dave Leventritt.

After Princeton Al earned a medical degree at the University of Rochester, and had his residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. After several years in private practice, Al concluded that his future lay in teaching. He joined Rochester’s medical faculty as its first full-time professor in the division of ophthalmology, remaining there for 34 years. He became chief of the division in 1961, and was instrumental in establishing this nationally recognized research program.  

Throughout his years of service, Al was known for “his uncommon passion” for the residents he trained. In 1982, he received the Albert David Kaiser Medal for Distinguished Service, awarded by the Rochester Academy of Medicine for all that “the University and the medical community have gained from his quiet, wise counsel.”

Al is survived by Margaret, his wife of 68 years; his children Sarah Singal, David, and Stephen; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.