At first blush, one might think Bob Snyder is an unlikely candidate to have said he loved this past winter.  He was born and raised in Georgia and remained there through college at Georgia Tech.  But he has moved steadily northward… First, for  graduate studies at Johns Hopkins, and then for a first teaching job in Pennsylvania.  He arrived here in the Berkshires in 1974 to teach mathematics at Simon’s Rock.  Teaching at Simon’s Rock was especially resonant for Bob.  Like Simon’s Rock students, he, too, had attended an early college program (at Emory University).  He taught there for 36 years, retiring in 2010.

Bob and his wife, Mary Berryhill, love it in the Berkshires and take full advantage of and pleasure in our outdoor activities — in every season.  They are avid hikers, often hiking Monument Mountain and visiting Bartholomew’s Cobble. They have been volunteer maintainers of the Appalachian Trail running from Rte. 23 to Benedict Pond in Bearstown State Forest.  And they are supporters of Trustees and Reservations.

Bob has special memories of the Great Barrington Fair Grounds.  When he first moved here, his wife at the time was a serious gardener and had entries in their agricultural exhibits.  Once Bob, who kept bees, entered honey in the Fair.  He even won a blue ribbon for a pound cake made from his mother’s recipe.  So the end of the fair was a great disappointment.

Given those memories and their volunteer trail work, it makes perfect sense that  Bob and Mary were excited to work as part of the community to rejuvenate the Fairgrounds and revitalize the now dormant space — so that future generations can take advantage of all it will offer.