In 2001, Vic Snyder met Reverend Elizabeth “Betsy” Singleton, an event that would have personal significance for them and political impact for the people of Arkansas.
MEETING & MARRYING
Rev. Betsy Singleton
According to Snyder, he first remembered seeing Reverend Singleton on the Sunday morning television ministry of the Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, and he would occasionally tune in to listen to her outreach sermons. One Saturday evening, during a musical tribute to jazz singer and composer Louis Jordan at Vino’s Brew Pub in Little Rock, Snyder noticed that Reverend Singleton was in attendance. He introduced himself, and they fell into conversation. That following Sunday morning, Snyder went to the service at Quapaw Quarter Methodist Church to listen to Reverend Singleton’s sermon. It was only her second Sunday in the pulpit since her assignment to the church. Looking back, Snyder was pleased to have met her at the early stage of her career as he watched her develop as a pastor and saw significant growth of the church during her tenure. The couple married in 2003 during a Sunday morning service, and Snyder, rather jokingly, stated that he highly recommended this form of marriage ceremony as it cut down on wedding expenses.
STARTING A
Family
In 2006, the couple had their first child, Charles Pennington “Penn” Snyder, followed in 2008 by triplets Aubrey Thomas Snyder, Sullivan Bloomingcamp Snyder, and Wyatt Singleton Snyder. During the pregnancy with the triplets, the couple realized that Reverend Singleton Snyder would have to leave her ministerial position at Quapaw Quarter Methodist Church due to heart complications. After the delivery of the triplets, she resumed cardio treatment. As a result, she was on disability for two years, but she returned to work in 2011 as a pastor for Trinity United Methodist Church in Little Rock.
STARTING THE
Next Stage
On January 24, 2011, Snyder accepted a position as senior vice president and chief medical officer for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Little Rock. Snyder was pleased with his decision to join the health insurance company as his stress level decreased, primarily due to the elimination of the Washington, D.C., commute and his ability to spend more time with his family. As Snyder commented, by working in Little Rock he had the opportunity to watch Penn ride his bike for the first time as opposed to Penn telling him about the big event on the phone.
After stepping down from office, people often asked Snyder, “Aren’t you glad you are not there in that mess [bipartisan conflict in Washington, D.C.]?” To which he emphatically countered, “No [...] Why would you not want to be participating in a process that shapes the future of your country when things are challenging?”1 Snyder always urged anyone with an interest in politics to get involved, whether running for a seat on the school board or city board of directors. He would say even if you lost, you gave people a choice in the voting process.
For More Information:
- Victor F. Snyder interview by Kaye Lundgren, June 3, 2022, 00.54.40, Victor F. Snyder Congressional papers, UALR.MS.0180, UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas and Culture, Little Rock, AR.
“Betsy Singleton-Snyder.” The United Methodist Church Online Directory and Statistics. General Council on Finance and Administration for the United Methodist Church. Accessed May 29, 2022. http://www.umdata.org/PastorProfile.aspx?PeopleID=58191.
Kaye Lundgren interview with Dr. Victor F. Snyder. June 3, 2022. Victor F. Snyder Congressional papers, UALR.MS.0180, UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas and Culture, Little Rock, AR.
Singleton Snyder, Betsy. Stepping on Cheerios: Finding God in the Chaos and Clutter of Life. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2017.
Teske, Steven. “Victor F. Snyder (1947–).” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Accessed May 5, 2022. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/victor-f-snyder-4655/.
Victor F. Snyder interview by Scott Lunsford. August 23, 2012. Arkansas Memories Project. The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, Fayetteville, AR.
About the Author:
Kaye Lundgren is an archival assistant at the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture. She worked on processing the Victor F. Snyder Congressional Papers.