Ted and Doris Schneider receive Roanoke College Medal

Salem - More than 59 years after they first met as undergraduates on Roanoke College's campus, a husband and wife received the College's highest alumni honor on Friday, April 10.

The Rev. Dr. Theodore "Ted" Schneider and Doris Lee Smith Schneider, both 1956 Roanoke graduates, are recipients of this year's Roanoke College Medal. 

The medal recognizes Roanoke alumni who have demonstrated leadership, intellectual integrity and a dedication to serving their communities.

The Schneiders met at Roanoke and were involved in numerous campus activities, including the choir and Brackety-Ack. Doris Schneider majored in Education and was a charter member of the Delta Gamma sorority, while Ted Schneider majored in Psychology and Elementary Education and was a member of a national debate fraternity. Both attended Salem's College Lutheran Church. Doris Schneider sang in the choir and taught Sunday school, and Ted Schneider was an organist.

They married the summer after graduation and moved to Pennsylvania, where Ted Schneider attended Lutheran Theological Seminary. He was pastor of several Pennsylvania churches, while Doris Schneider had jobs in publishing and education. 

The couple later moved to Silver Spring, Md., where Ted Schneider was pastor of Saint Luke Lutheran Church. Doris Schneider worked for 18 years at the University of Maryland, College Park in development and administration roles.

In 1995, Ted Schneider became bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, ELCA, where he was known for his leadership and work to increase stewardship within the Synod and reach out to the immigrant population. He has received awards for his leadership and Christian stewardship. 

Since retiring in 2007, the Schneiders have devoted much of their time and resources to Roanoke. They are members of the Society of 1842, and they are Roanoke College Associates. They also serve on the national Roanoke Rising Campaign Steering Committee.  

Ted Schneider, who holds a doctor of divinity degree from Susquehanna University and an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Roanoke, also is a member of the Roanoke College Board of Trustees.

The Schneiders live in Maryland and have two children and six grandchildren.

-Published April 9, 2015