George Edward “Ed” Snell, Sr., CPO died peacefully at his home near Little Rock, Ark. on Sept. 5 at the age of 99 years.
Snell
Snell was born in Nashville, Tenn. on April 10, 1915. At the end of World War II in 1945, he was released from his job at a defense contractor and relocated his young family to take over the management of the Little Rock branch of the Snell Artificial Limb Company owned by his uncle, R.W. “Pop” Snell.
After a 6-week internship with cousin, Jim Snell, in Shreveport, La. Snell took the reins in Little Rock, purchasing the business a year later. By 1950, he had expanded the business to include orthotics and renamed it Snell Limb and Brace Co. It was given its current title, Snell Prosthetic and Orthotic Laboratory in 1976.
For more than 40 years, Snell actively served the needs of the O&P patient population of Arkansas. He was among the first to attend the initial formal education classes for O&P practitioners at UCLA in the 1950s and later at Northwestern University in the 1960s. He was an ABC examiner in the 1960s and 1970s, serving as prosthetic exam chairman in 1973. Throughout his career he was always striving to upgrade the profession and increase its respect in the medical community.
Snell passed on his legacy through his son Frank Snell, CPO, LPO, FAAOP, and grandchildren Brant Snell, MA,RPA,LP,COA, and Melissa Snell, MBA,CFM, who continue Snell Laboratory with its 10 facility locations in Arkansas.
