August 27, 2001

Cynthia Reeves Snow, 94, a retired professor of art, died May 21. She had been living in Del Mar, Calif.

Snow joined the UConn faculty in 1948 and retired in 1977. She was a noted artist whose work was shown in many national and international juried shows and is represented in museums and private collections. Born in North Carolina, she was educated at the University of North Carolina and Peabody College.

"Although she moved to Del Mar to be near her son and daughter-in-law, Cynthia never lost her affection for, and her ties to UConn and Storrs," says longtime friend Norman Stevens, former director of University libraries.

"Cynthia continued to paint while in California, even though she found the differences in the nature and the quality of light a real challenge, almost until the time of her death," Stevens says. "Her spirit of innovation remained strong well into her 90s," adds Stevens. "My wife Nora and I were intrigued to find several years ago that she had begun a series of calligraphic paintings done on the backs of brown paper shopping bags from her local supermarket."

Many of Snow's paintings done during her years in Storrs, while abstract, are based on strong images of local landscapes. She donated a number of her works to the University. These are on display in the administrative offices in Homer Babbidge Library and in the UConn Foundation building.

Roger Crossgrove, an emeritus professor of art, praised Snow's teaching and her talent.

"Cynthia was not only an extremely devoted teacher who inspired a longtime devotion in so many of her students, but was also an exceptional painter who had earned the admiration and respect of her many friends and collectors of her work," Crossgrove says.

Snow is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, John and Carol Snow of Del Mar, Calif.

A memorial service to celebrate Snow's life will be held Oct. 28 at 1:30 p.m. in the Dodd Center's Konover Auditorium. After a short program, there will be an opportunity to share a memory or story. Written recollections for the family are also welcome. For those people who own a 'Reeves' painting - this was how Snow signed her paintings - an informal snapshot of the work would be also appreciated by the family. Written remembrances and snapshots will be kept by the family as keepsakes.

Donations for the Cynthia Reeves Snow Scholarship Fund may be sent to the UConn Foundation, 2390 Alumni Drive, Storrs, CT 06269. Checks should be made payable to The University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. Please write Cynthia Reeves Snow Scholarship Fund in the memo portion of the check.

Sherry Fisher