EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso County shined a spotlight on the life and accomplishments of the late Bob Snead when it dedicated a street in Snead’s honor in far East El Paso on Friday, Jan. 23.
The City of El Paso had previously named the street in his honor, but the County said it was holding a ceremony to formally recognize Snead’s contributions at the County-level and celebrate “his enduring impact on the community he called home for more than four decades,” the County said.
Snead died in 2020 at age 84. He was a decorated combat veteran, military aviator, acclaimed Western artist, actor and historian of the Buffalo Soldiers, the famous all-Black Army units from the 19th century.
County Commissioner Jackie Butler said “this is an opportunity for more El Pasoans to learn who Bob Snead was.”
“He was a decorated Vietnam veteran. He was an aviator, an artist who spent a lot of his time honoring the Buffalo Soldiers, their legacy and history in the United States and El Paso,” Butler said.
“More than anything, he was a very loved father and husband,” Butler said.
Chris Snead, Bob Snead’s son, said his father was his hero.
He said he saw the street name about a year ago, before houses were built in the area around it.
“I was flabbergasted to see my dad’s name on a street sign,” he said.
“The cross streets are Ambition, Imagine, Composition,” Chris Snead said. “The names like that, those things embody everything my dad spoke to us about and lived for.”
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