SNELL, William R(obert) 1930-

(S. Forester)

PERSONAL: Born October 16, 1930, in Birmingham, AL; son of Eugene Byron (a hotel clerk) and Cora Aldine (a homemaker; maiden name, Hirschy) Snell; married Jan Warren, September 2, 1963; children: Stephen Michael, Jeffrey Alan. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Howard College, B.S., 1952; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, B.D., Th.M., 1957; Samford University, M.A., 1963; University of Alabama—Tuscaloosa, Ph.D., 1973. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Baptist. Hobbies and other interests: Collecting books.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—3765 Hillsdale Dr. N.E., Cleveland, TN 37312-5133. E-mail—wmrsnell@aol.com.

CAREER: Educator and historian. Lee University, Cleveland, TN, professor, 1970-99; retired. Historian of town of Cleveland, 1982, and of Bradley County, TN, 1991.

MEMBER: Bradley County Historical Society.

AWARDS, HONORS: Teaching Excellence Award, East Tennessee Historical Society, 2000.

WRITINGS:

Cleveland, the Beautiful: A History of Cleveland, Tennessee, 1842-1931, Fiirst American National Bank (Cleveland, TN), 1986.

(Editor) Myra Inman: A Diary of the Civil War in East Tennessee, Mercer University Press (Macon, GA), 2000.

Contributor to magazines and newspapers, including Alabama Historical Quarterly and Alabama Review. Some writings appear under the pseudonym S. Forester.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Ku Klux Klan in Alabama, 1915-1934; research on Ocoee Bank, Cleveland, TN, 1854-1869.

SIDELIGHTS: William R. Snell told CA: "When I researched the history of Camp Hill Baptist Church for an author, I received such a positive response to the project that I considered concentrating on local history as a good subject to write about. When employed as a professor at Lee College (now University) in 1970, I began a systematic search for information in books, magazines, and local newspapers, concentrating on Cleveland and Bradley County.

"While several individuals acted as the reference people for questions about the history of the community, I resolved to study and write about it. In 1971 the editor of the local Cleveland Daily Banner agreed to run my short historical articles. From this beginning I have contributed articles on many subjects. I have compiled lists of city and county officials, and have recorded some of the more interesting historic events in the community."