Stafford, VA – Col. Merle Snyder of Ashburn, Va. has been selected by the Middle Atlantic PGA as the 2013 David Wortman Citizen of the Year. This award bestows special recognition on an outstanding amateur, recognized by the MAPGA and the business community as a leader in his/her field, whose contributions to golf in the mid-Atlantic region include the promotion of the game, the Middle Atlantic Section and its PGA Professionals, as well as overall support of MAPGA programs and golf throughout the region. This award is named in honor of the late David Wortman, Esq., Section Legal Counsel from 1971-1988 and honorary member of the MAPGA. Snyder will be recognized in front of his peers at the MAPGA Hall of Fame and Awards banquet to be held on March 9, 2013 at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, Md.
A retired U.S. Army Colonel, Snyder has a decorated military background. He received a Silver Star for his heroism as a medical evacuation pilot with the 45th Medical Company, 44th Medical Brigade during the Vietnam War. In a single tour of duty he evacuated more than 3,000 patients and flew 1,387 combat missions. His command and staff assignments included Director of Health Care Operations for the Office of the Surgeon General in Washington D.C. and Commander, US Army Garrison, Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md. to name a few.
In addition to the Silver Star, Snyder was also awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Medal with 26 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Following his Army retirement, Snyder served as Vice President of Health Information Systems for TROY Systems, Inc. in Fairfax, Va. He retired after five years and started his commitment to volunteering immediately after meeting MAPGA’s former Executive Director Dick “the skull” Johns. For the past 11 years, Snyder has conducted Rules of Golf seminars for junior golfers and has served as a rules official in countless golf tournaments for the Section. He has also served on the board of the Washington Metropolitan Golf Association (WMGA) and will begin his term as a Sectional Chairman for the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA).
About the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America
The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a part of The PGA since 1925, the MAPGA consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and small portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Together, the MAPGA golf professionals, volunteers and staff support the mission of The PGA to promote enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to the game’s growth by providing services to PGA Professionals and the golf industry.
Contact:
Stephanie Jennings, PGA
sjennings@pgahq.com
(540) 720-7420 ext. 116
