John P. Murnane was a 1943 graduate of Snyder High School. That generation was unique, they were teenagers at a time of war. Their world was in upheaval, their friends and families were watching their loved one's march off to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Each student knew as they got closer to graduation, they would be called to serve and they wanted to! This was a time where each classmate became very close, united in their love of their country and way of life, secure in the hallowed halls of Snyder High....for a while. The Snyder High Yearbook that Year, "The Scroll" had the words "Freedom from Fear" as its motto, and these young people where fearless in facing their futures.

John P. Murnane was no exception to the exceptional students of that time. He served as President of the G.O, Law Club, Historical Society, Play Show, Air Raid Warden, and was well rounded in participating in Basketball 41 - 43, Football 42, and more. After graduation, he enlisted immediately in the Marine Corps. and was sent to Iwo Jima. He was wounded in that battle and returned home to recover on Bidwell Avenue, he also married his High School sweetheart, another graduate of Snyder High School, Patricia Screen. He then enrolled in College at Fordham University and graduated in Law. He joined the Central Intelligence Agency at its inception and served our country for 17 years with them. He was stationed in Tokyo and studied at Tokyo University, then became the primary attache for the US to the Thai government serving with the Asian Desk of the CIA until 1968. In 1968, when he was only 44 and had so much more to do and give, iin Bangkok Thailand, he was killed in an auto accident, leaving his wife and three children. He was honored by the CIA and still is to this day for his service to the United States and its security. We, his family, are also interested in setting up a scholarship for any Snyder High Student that will pursue a career in Government.

In a photo presented to John in 1943, it shows a US Airplane with the name "THE SNYDER TIGER" with the inscription on the back "To John, in grateful appreciation for your efforts as President of the G.O in helping raise the funds that made this Snyder Tiger possible, E.J. Campbell US ARMY." This was a young man who took life and its events personally to ensure he made a difference. From his time at Snyder High School to the present day, he is a beacon of inspiration and success.

Respectfully
Kathleen Gervascio
(daughter of John P. Murnane)