Bill Snead has had an amazing career as a photographer, and this Saturday, May 17, he’ll be at the Nelson-Atkins giving a free lecture. Snead’s career has taken him all over the world, and he has been a witness for the world during many crucial times such as the Vietnam War and the fall of the Berlin Wall. For a kid from Lawrence, Kansas, his life took him on many adventures far away from home.
In his 53 year long career, Snead has never once had to apply for a job. His work became instantly recognizable in the journalism world. After graduating from Lawrence High School in 1955, he worked as a one-man photography department for four years at the Lawrence Journal-World. After taking a job in Delaware, Snead was asked to run the photography department for United Press International in Saigon during the incredibly violent years of the Vietnam War. He has also served as picture editor for National Geographic and worked at the Washington Post for 21 years.
In 1993, Snead returned to his roots and became the deputy editor at the Lawrence Journal-World. He is a man known for his modesty and quick wit. Snead is quick to recognize that he’s been very lucky in his life and his career. His photographs line the second floor hallway of the journalism building at the University of Kansas. I have walked by these images many times, but they always manage to catch my eye and make me pause to take a better look. Lawrence is proud to call him a local; and the Lawrence Journal-World has done a lot to make his images well-known on a regional level. Don’t miss the chance to hear this local treasure speak about his photographs of the famous and infamous.