Originally published in The Baum Bugle, vol. 61, no. 3 (Winter 2017), pg. 35–37
Citations
Chicago 17th ed.:
Gessel, Michael. “A Headstone for a Royal Historian: Honoring Jack Snow.” Baum Bugle 61, no. 3 (2017): 35–37.
MLA 9th ed.:
Gessel, Michael. “A Headstone for a Royal Historian: Honoring Jack Snow.” The Baum Bugle, vol. 61, no. 3, 2017, pp. 35–37.
(Note: In print, this article was supplemented with photographs that have not been reproduced here. In addition, one sidebar—discussing unused jacket art for Snow’s Who’s Who in Oz—has not been included because the author’s permission has not been obtained.)
Ever since Jack Snow died in 1956, his grave has been a destination for dedicated Oz fans. But that unmarked spot, in his hometown of Piqua, OH, hasn’t been easy to find.
This changed on August 15, 2017, with the ceremonial unveiling of a headstone in Piqua’s Forest Hill Cemetery, which was attended by about thirty guests. Included among them were members of the Snow family, representatives of The International Wizard of Oz Club, local dignitaries, and Ohio Oz fans. Snow was the author of two books in the “official” Oz series of forty titles: The Magical Mimics in Oz (1946) and The Shaggy Man of Oz (1949). He also wrote the encyclopedic Who’s Who in Oz (1954) and a foreword for one of L. Frank Baum’s Animal Fairy Tales, “The Story of Jaglon” (The Delineator, January 1905), which was then published in book form in 1953 as Jaglon and the Tiger Fairies. During his lifetime, Snow assembled one of the most important collections of books by Baum and original art by W. W. Denslow, the two “creators of Oz.” Additionally—significantly—Snow was the inspiration for the founding of the Oz Club, which was launched in 1957, the year after his death.
“I am really humbled to think that my brother has impacted so many lives in his writing about Oz. It is one thing to be a writer, but if you can touch a child’s life, then you are truly a Royal Historian of Oz,” offered Snow’s stepsister, Joan Snow Weiss. Weiss, the first speaker on the morning of the dedication ceremony, went on to recall memories of her brother, including the candy and books he gave her as presents, and she noted, “I hold so many fond memories of Jack when I was growing up.”
James C. Oda, director of the Piqua Public Library, talked about Snow’s personality and life in Piqua. “His small-town roots gave him a good base, I like to think. But to grow, it was on to the big city: Dayton, then New York City—but still alone.” Oda opined, “It was in Oz he found himself.”
As treasurer of the Oz Club, I recounted other details of Snow’s life and achievements, remarking that the placement of a headstone could bring more visitors to the site: “Those who seek this place will be rewarded with a wonderful monument to the creativity and skill of Jack Snow.” I also read a message from Club founder, Justin G. Schiller, who was unable to attend the ceremony. Justin acknowledged that Snow was his inspiration in founding the organization in Jack’s memory and wrote, “It seems appropriate that—on what would be the 110th anniversary of Jack Snow’s birth—the Oz Club has joined together with Jack’s family to provide an appropriate headstone marker for his final resting place.” Joan Weiss’s son, Brian Weiss, concluded the ceremony by reading from Snow’s 1941 poem, “I am Radio. . . .”
Photo by M.J. Evans, findagrave.com, Memorial ID 99994510.
The unveiling took place under a canopy set above the grave on a bright, cloudless day. Purchased from the Piqua Granite & Marble Co., Inc., the stone measures twenty-four inches high by eighteen inches wide and is made of jet black granite. Its design includes an “O” circumscribing a “Z”—a modified version of the “Oz” lettering from the John R. Neill cover design for Glinda of Oz. Under Snow’s name is the inscription, “Royal Historian of Oz.” Each of the lower corners of the stone bears a motif of concentric quarter circles, suggesting radio waves and representing Snow’s lifelong interest in that medium.
The headstone has been positioned in the Genslinger family plot, not far from the cemetery main gate and next to the grave of Jack’s father, John Alonzo Snow, to whom the author dedicated The Shaggy Man of Oz. The black granite utilized for Snow is distinctive among the mostly white graves in that part of the cemetery.
Purchase of the headstone was supported by a donation from the Oz Club, and for the ceremony, a table nearby displayed Snow’s books and memorabilia from his life. Among those who assisted with plans for the event were Beverly Drudy, daughter of the late Robert W. Horner, Snow’s stepbrother; Joan Weiss’s daughter, Joyann Baldwin; and Brian Weiss’s son, Christian. Other attendees included Judy Deeter, president of the Troy (OH) Historical Society; Piqua Mayor Kathryn Hinds; and Oz Club representatives Bill Thompson (our auctioneer) and Lynn Beltz (former Club vice-president). After the ceremony, the Snow family hosted a lunch with the Oz Club members at the Piqua Country Club.
Snow was born in Piqua (thirty miles north of Dayton) on August 15, 1907. At that time, the town’s population was about thirteen thousand. After graduating from Piqua High School in 1925, he worked at the Piqua Daily Call and then moved to Dayton. Snow served in the Army during World War II, following which he settled in New York and took a job with the National Broadcasting Corporation. He died on July 11, 1956, of jaundice and internal hemorrhaging.
For more than a decade, members of the Oz Club have seriously discussed the idea of contributing to a fund to create a headstone for Jack Snow. Efforts began in earnest in early 2017, and on April 26 of that year, the Club’s Executive Committee approved a donation for the purpose of purchasing a headstone.
[Note: This wasn’t the first time the Club assisted in such a project for a major participant and force in the world of Oz. In 1985—and prompted by member Stanley Barker—the Club initiated the concept of a headstone for W. W. Denslow, illustrator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Until that time, his grave was also unmarked. Please see The Baum Bugle, Autumn 1987, pages 20–21.]
In additional to the signal honor to Jack Snow, it was hoped that the Piqua ceremony would raise his profile in the community as a prominent local writer. “We’re creating a monument to recognize him,” noted Oda. Such appreciation began almost immediately, as the unveiling was covered by Dayton television station WHIO/Channel 7 and the Daily Piqua Call.
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