Harvard Magazine Obituary

Harvard Magazine Obituaries — Graduate Schools

Richard W. Snibbe, Graduate School of Design 1939-1941, died October 28 in San Francisco. While coaching Harvard’s lacrosse team, he made waves when he refused to play against the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis unless they granted Harvard’s African-American team members equal privileges in the dorms and dining halls. From 1951 to 1956 he was an associate in the Washington, D.C., architectural firm of Edward Stone. There he helped design the Indian Embassy, in particular its distinctive concrete latticework “screen”; the building won the AIA Gold Medal Award. In 1958 he cofounded the firm of Ballard, Todd & Snibbe. A champion of classic, socially oriented modern architecture, in the 1980s he cofounded the Congress of International Modern Architects. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the author of two books, Small Commercial Buildings and The New Modernist in World Architecture. He leaves two sons, John and Paul.

Harvard Memorial Service

A Memorial Service for Richard Snibbe will be held:

Sat. Jan. 5th, 2pm

Memorial Church

Harvard Yard
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Driving directions can be found here.

Kris, Scott, Kim, Paul and other family will be in attendance.

San Francisco Memorial Service

Last Sunday we held a beautiful memorial service for Richard at the Tse Chen Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies in San Francisco. About 25 people attended, including Richard’s sons John and Paul, his grandchildren Scott, Kris and Kim, and a number of our friends who had gotten to know Richard over the years. The program included a reading of The King of Prayers which Richard enjoyed during one of my visits with him at the nursing home. I made an art video earlier this year featuring Richard reading part of this prayer which we played along with an excerpt of Richard’s reading of the prayer in his nursing home room, and part of a video Richard made with Patricia about a Le Corbusier house in Paris.

You can read the eulogy I delivered on the San Francisco Memorial Page. We also had copies of Richard’s autobiography which is available on the Books page. And finally there is a slideshow of photographs that Kris took during the memorial.

With Love,

Scott

Memorial Service Saturday Nov 3

The last few days have been filled with kind words from Grandpa’s friends and relatives. Today would have been Dick’s ninety-first birthday. Some people are sending birthday greetings and finding out for the first time about his passing.

We have organized the San Francisco memorial service this Saturday, November 3 at:

Tse Chen Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies
399 Webster Street, San Francisco 94117
(415) 621-4215

3pm-4pm: Memorial Service
4pm-5pm: Reception

Both events are open to the public. If possible, please RSVP to scott@snibbe.com if you are coming so that we can prepare enough seating and refreshments. My brother Kris and I will be giving eulogies to Grandpa. Everyone who is there will also have an opportunity to share their memories of Richard. Please prepare some brief words or recall your favorite stories about grandpa if you like. We also have a few interesting surprises planned.

On Sunday, November 4 at 5pm we will be holding a Medicine Buddha Puja at Tse Chen Ling, which is a Tibetan Buddhist ritual to create conditions for a peaceful transition to his next state. All are welcome to this event too. Be prepared to chant for at least an hour!

grandpa’s birthday 2005

Richard Snibbe died October 28, 2007

Today my grandfather Richard Snibbe died in San Francisco. Ahna answered our phone at 8:15 this morning and quickly came to get me. The nursing home said that grandpa had died of cardiac arrest suddenly while eating his breakfast. We drove quickly over to the Mission Bay Convalescent Hospital and we sat peacefully with him for two hours while we filled the room with love for him and said some prayers.

The day before, on Saturday, we had planned to take him out for a lobster dinner to celebrate his ninety-first birthday which was coming up on October 31. When we arrived at four, he was all dressed up and excited, filled with loving words, exclaiming “I love you!” to both Ahna and I and squeezing our hands. But when we tried to take him to the car, he insisted “I’m not getting in that elevator” and nothing we said could convince him, even when I told him we were getting lobster. We eventually went back to his room and he lay down, holding my hand and quickly falling asleep.

He lived a beautiful life here in San Francisco for the last three years. I’ve been able to see him at least once a week and we’ve been out to twenty or so lobster dinners together! Every time I saw him he was filled with love and enthusiasm and made my life wonderful. The staff at the nursing home adored him and treated him with alternating tenderness and teasing.

I’ve just set up this blog and will be posting more information about Grandpa’s life and his planned memorial services. Feel free to post comments and share your thoughts and memories about Richard.

With Love,

Scott Snibbe

Grandpa with Kris and Scott

027_kris_bon_visit, originally uploaded by snibbe.

Three Generations of Snibbes

paul_gp_visit_20, originally uploaded by snibbe.

Richard Snibbe 1990s

granpa younger, originally uploaded by snibbe.

Richard Snibbe 1950s

grandpa_50s, originally uploaded by snibbe.

Richard Snibbe 1950s

Richard Snibbe 1970s

grandpa_70s, originally uploaded by snibbe.