[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 103 (Thursday, July 25, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ANNIE SNYDER: ``SHE HELD HER GROUND''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 25, 2002

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, a legend in the 10th District of Virginia died 
on Friday, July 19. The headline on Monday, July 22, from The 
Washington Post may have said it best in describing the life of a 
stalwart defender of preserving the rural and historic lands in 
northern Virginia. It was, ``Annie Snyder: She Held Her Ground.''
  Annie Snyder, a 53-year resident of Prince William County, passed 
away at age 80. She was one of my constituents from northern Virginia 
and many believe she single handedly in the late 1980's stopped the 
development of a shopping mall which threatened the Manassas National 
Battlefield Park. As the Post reported, she ``led battles against great 
odds and powerful foes'' in her quest to protect the hallowed grounds 
of the Manassas Battlefield and other threatened historic lands.
  Affectionately known as ``Annie,'' she led me into what became known 
as ``The Third Battle of Bull Run,'' as I introduced legislation to 
take the land which threatened the battlefield, make it federal land 
and incorporate it into the park. But it was her fighting spirit, 
perhaps from her days of serving in the Marine Corps, that won the day.
  She had a motto, ``Never, never, never give up.'' And she never did, 
in fighting for the causes in which she believed. The Post said it 
well: ``She maintained a `Semper Fi' attitude toward civic involvement 
until the end.''
  On my office wall is a photo she sent me after the legislation was 
signed into law. The statue of General Stonewall Jackson standing tall 
on the Manassas Battlefield ground is in the lower left corner and a 
bolt of lightning in the center of the picture draws from the sky into 
the ground. She wrote on the photo: ``When lightning struck Manassas, 
you were there. Thank you. Annie Snyder.''
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of northern Virginians, we remember the life 
of and say ``thank you'' to Annie Snyder for going into battle to 
preserve the lands she held so dear. We also express our sympathy to 
her husband of 57 years, Pete, of Gainesville; her six children, six 
grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

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