Florida International University journalism professor Don Sneed was known for his open-door policy, and his office doors opened as usual on Monday to welcome those honoring his memory.
Sneed, who would have been 61 on Wednesday, died Sunday at his Plantation, Fla., home from a heart attack, according to a story today in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Students and colleagues alike remember Sneed as an inventive, hands-on teacher who paired ?nuts-and-bolts? instruction with constant guidance and encouragement. After joining FIU in 1996, he chaired the journalism department until returning to teaching in 1999. Sneed was on sabbatical this semester to write a book on the late Ralph Renick, well known for his on-air editorials on WTVJ, Florida's first television station.
Born on Nov. 2, 1944, Sneed earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1966 from Louisiana State University. He went on to receive a master's degree from Penn State University in 1981 and a doctorate in journalism in 1984 from Southern Illinois University.
Sneed began his career at the Houma (La.) Daily Courier as a reporter and, later, as managing editor. He also was an editor at the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American.
Before coming to FIU, Sneed taught journalism at San Diego State and the University of Mississippi, where he chaired the department. He spent summers working at newspapers, including the Palm Beach Post in 1994, as a writing coach or as a copy editor. The North Dakota Newspaper Association awarded him first place for editorial writing in 2004.
Sneed is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and two daughters, Samantha and Sarah.
FIU has set up a Don Sneed Memorial Scholarship Fund and a memorial service will be held at a future date in the Plantation United Methodist Church. Sneed will be buried in Mississippi.
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