Editor: For many of you, James Snyder was someone you might have read about who passed away suddenly in New Zealand, which was his second home. You may have no idea who he was, other than his love and involvement with the arts and culture sector in our community.
He truly enjoyed his time working with so many people who made Chatham-Kent a better place to live.
In my world, I knew James for his love for the land and for his impact in the agriculture sector, not just here in Chatham-Kent, but throughout our province, our country, and in many parts of the world.
In past contributions, I have talked about people in my life who have helped guide me, not only as a person, but also in my agriculture career. James Snyder was one of those individuals.
James was very proud of his British heritage. During my last visit with James, he took me through his apartment in downtown Chatham and showed me every square foot of his residence, and every square foot had something of value to him.
I met James when I started working for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. I was working with Ron Anderson, who was our agriculture specialist, and James worked very closely with Ron in trying to expand and add value to our agriculture sector. When Ron retired, James and I worked closely together on many projects.
James was a unique man. A very intelligent and learned man. He talked faster than my brain could keep up. In fact, the first meeting I had with James, he talked so fast, I ended up with a headache.
Facts and information just flowed out of him. He was not trying to show off and appear smarter than me, although he was many brain levels ahead of me. He just saw the bigger picture and envisioned so many opportunities for growth and expansion in so many areas.
James would read eight-to-10 newspapers every day. He looked beyond the words in an article.
He saw things in his mind he felt really could work and could make a difference in so many areas of agriculture.
He wrote hundreds of government grant applications for the cultural sector, for non-profit organizations, and for the agriculture sector.
It takes special people to know what various levels of government are looking for when they grant companies and organizations money to help them grow and develop their sector.
James did not embellish anything. He wrote what was true and what was needed. In fact, in our agriculture world here in southwestern Ontario, James Snyder helped bring millions of dollars to sustain, grow, and develop many different areas of agriculture.
I worked with James on many of these government applications, and I was always in awe of his big-picture thinking and his way with words.
James was part of a team that helped bring the ethanol plant to Chatham. He was instrumental in Agri-Development Kent, which later became Chatham-Kent Agri Development. James coined the phrase “We Grow for the World,” for which he never wanted credit.
He envisioned a protein-producing factory long before they came into being. He saw the need for added-value soybean processing; a year-round farmers’ market with a drawn-up plan; truffle farming, expansion of Pawpaw trees, and so much more.
These were not ideas he just spouted off. These were viable, workable, and doable projects he knew could work. He was a gifted visionary who lit up when we got together to talk about agriculture.
I will miss our times together, but I am truly thankful and grateful to James, who taught me to think beyond my limits and just go for it.
I, and so many others in our arts, culture, and agriculture sector, owe James Snyder so much. He was truly a memorable part of our lives, and made such a significant and lasting impact for so many.
Thank you, James.
Kim Cooper
Chatham-Kent
