David Snead, Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Snead is a full professor and has been a member of the Department of History since 2004. He served as the department chair from 2006-2013. He specializes in 20th-century American diplomatic and military history.

He has researched and written studies of World War I, World War II, the Holocaust, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Kennedy. He recently submitted an article on the Seabees in Operation Overlord for publication. He continues to have a deep interest in World War II, the Holocaust, and Dwight Eisenhower and is currently researching Eisenhower’s career between World War II and his presidency

Dr. Snead is a proud member of Phi Alpha Theta and served as the advisor to Liberty’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta from 2005-2023. Liberty’s chapter won the National Best Chapter Award in 2022 and 2023. He additionally serves on Liberty’s Fulbright and Provost Award for Excellence in Research committees

Dr. Snead enjoys leading student class trips. In recent semesters, he has taken students to the United States Holocaust Museum and the National Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Away from work, his life revolves around his family, church (Forest Baptist), and the Red Truck Ministry. He has been happily married to his wife, Lori, since 1991 and has been blessed with twin daughters, Reagan and Delaney, and a son, Darel. Dr. Snead and Lori enjoy going to see their now grown “kids” and exploring new parts of the United States together.

Courses

• HIEU 497 Holocaust
• HIUS 380 U.S. Military History
• HIST 300 Historical Methodology
• HIST 490 Topics include World War I and Cold War
• HIWD 455 World War II
• Graduate courses:
  • World War I
  • World War II
  • Cold War
  • Holocaust

Publications

Books: The Gaither Committee, Eisenhower, and the Cold War (1999), An American Soldier in World War I (2006), In Hostile Skies: An American B-24 Pilot in World War II (2006), John F. Kennedy: The New Frontier President (2010), The Road from Cavite: A Naval Ensign’s Memoir of His Time in the Philippines, October 1941 to May 1942 (2016), and Flying with the Fifteenth (2018)

Select Articles/Book Chapters: “Preparing the East Room for President Kennedy to Lie in Repose” (2026), “Denominational Periodicals in Virginia and the Holocaust: A Failure of Mission” (2025), “The Holocaust, History, and Central Virginia: Recognizing the Need for Holocaust Remembrance” (2023), “Eisenhower and National Security Policy” 2017

Professional Memberships

Phi Alpha Theta, Phi Beta Kappa, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, and the Society of Military History

Research Interests

World War II, Holocaust, Dwight Eisenhower