Farley Snell, a native Floridian, holds an A.B. degree from Florida Southern College and a M.Div. and Th.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He served as chaplain at Southwestern University for 27 years, from 1972 until his retirement in 1999. As the chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, Snell was a rather unconventional chaplain who spoke on topical events within a religious context and who valued his time in the classroom. He coordinated the Religion Lecture Series bringing scores of internationally recognized scholars and theologians to campus. The university historian, Bill Jones, described Chaplain Snell as a person of independent mind who refused to be forced to do what he did not believe in, he was splendid preacher, always preaching from the lectionary. Snell spoke eloquently on the place of religious values in the academy and he was appointed Presider for the creation of the new Master Plan for the University. At the time of his retirement, the university published a book of his sermons entitled Sometimes a Surprising Word.

Snell retired to Asheville, North Carolina after 27 years at Southwestern. He was a frequent lecturer at Senior University in Georgetown, TX and now gives lectures around Asheville on religion.

Printed sermons and sermons in audio tape dating from 1978 to 1999. The papers also include the book that the university published at the time of his retirement, Sometimes a Surprising Word.

Sermons are titled by book, chapter, and verse and are arranged chronologically.

Box and Folder
1 1978-1999
2 1979-1981
3 1981-1982
4 1982-1983
5 1983-1984
6 1984-1985
7 1985-1986
8 1986-1987
9 1987-1988
10 1988-1989
11 1989-1990
12 1990-1991
13 1991-1992
14 1992-1993
15 1993-1994
16 1994-1995
17 1995-1996
18 1996-1997
19 1997-1998

20.1 1991-1992
20.2 1993
20.3 1994
20.4 1995
20.5 1996
20.6 1997
20.7 1998
20.8 1999
20.9 Sermon Book 1978-1991
20.10 Sermon Book 1992-1998

Source for biographical information: Jones, William B. To survive and excel: the story of Southwestern University, 1840-2000. Georgetown, Tex.: Southwestern University, 2006.