George Snell photograph collection

Collection

Identifier: P0152

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains personal and professional images of George Snell. Folder one contains photographs of Snell, his wife, and family friends. The remaining folders consist of photographs relating to Snell's work in the broadcasting field, particularly with Radio Keen of San Jose, California. The images in this collection are in very good condition.

Dates

1920s-1970s

Creator

Snell, George D. (George Dixon), 1909-1991 (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Note

George Snell (b. 1909) was born on 4 April 1909, to George Dixon and Ivy Belle Price Dixon. Snell was raised mainly in Utah, and for a time in St. Anthony, Idaho. Snell's interest in radio began early in the 1920s when he first constructed an oatmeal box crystal set and when he later became well acquainted with Stan Stoule, a West High classmate and licensed ham. With Stoule's basement radio station and license, Snell became proficient in Morse code and was quickly bitten by the radio bug. In 1925, Snell passed an examination by the Federal Radio Commission and received an operating license with the call 6AKM. Phil Lasky, general manager of KDYL, took advantage of the young man's skills, contacted him, and made Snell part of the KDYL staff in 1927. Eventually, Snell's career at KDYL would run the gambit from program announcer and script writer to program director, from 1938 until he left in 1944.

Snell left Salt Lake City in 1945 to write and produce "The Standard Hour" and "The Standard School Broadcast" for KPO NBC in San Francisco, California. While at NBC, Snell and Floyd Farr developed plans to build a radio station in San Jose, California, a small, burgeoning town with only one radio station. With a hold on construction permits after World War II (WWII), Farr and Snell, with the monetary help of philanthropist George Mardikian, were fortunate enough to be awarded a permit from the FCC and began construction and formation of radio KEEN in 1947. KEEN struggled with a network emulated station format until Snell and Farr broke the mold and tried an all country and western format of popular, recorded music. The birth of modern radio had been witnessed. The new formula proved to be the success of KEEN, and was later applied to the development of KBAY, KVEG, KFIG, KFOA, and KAHU under the parent image of United Broadcasting Company.

Snell continued to be active in radio, even when his sons controlled KBAY and KEEN. Alongside Snell's radio career is his literary career as an author and respected literary critic. From 1934 1968, Snell corresponded with well known writer Vardis Fisher. Snell published three novels in the 1930s: The Great Adam (1934), Root, Hog and Die (1936), and And If Man Triumph (1938). He also had lengthy discussions with Fisher about many literary matters, especially the value of Steinbeck and Hemingway. In addition, in 1947 he published "The Shapers of American Fiction", a still used anthology of biographies of well known American authors.

Far from containing his life to two main interests, Snell supported community activities. Among many activities, he was on the board of directors of the Salvation Army, a member of the San Jose Light Opera Association, president of the board of directors of the San Jose City Library, member of the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, and president of the San Jose Advertising Club. The diversity and entrepreneurial genius of Snell is readily depicted in his collection: the radio ham, the "format" genius, the published author, and the sensitive literary critic are equally displayed.

Extent

62 Photographic Prints

Additional Description

Abstract

The George Snell photograph collection contains personal and professional images of George Snell. Folder one contains photographs of Snell, his wife, and family friends. The remaining folders consist of photographs relating to Snell's work in the broadcasting field, particularly with Radio Keen of San Jose, California. The images in this collection are in very good condition.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged topically.

Separated Materials

Audio-visual materials were transferred to the George Snell audio-visual collection (A0152).

Manuscript materials were transferred to the George Snell papers (MS 0556).