JR Schneider, 1951–2012

To fellow members of the BMW CCA, Oklahoma lawyer John R. Schneider was simply JR. Whether serving on the CCA Board of Directors or working on yet another Oktoberfest celebration, he was an indefatigable presence in the Club. As a Region VP, he found his negotiating skills invaluable for amicably adjusting the geographical dimensions of chapters in the South Central Region; but Oktoberfest was his pet project, and he was instrumental in making that yearly festival a truly national event.

 

Born in Connersville, Indiana, in 1951, Schneider followed a fascinating trail to his profession. Majoring in Communications/Cinema & Photography, he graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1973; in 1975, he earned his Master’s in Occupational/Vocational Education, specializing in curriculum design. Then he studied law at the Oklahoma City University School of Law in Oklahoma City, earning his JD in 1983.

 

A founding member of the Workers Compensation Defense Counsel, Schneider specialized in that area of the law, serving as Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Chief Attorney at the Oklahoma State Insurance Fund before joining Pierce Couch Hendrickson Baysinger & Green, LLP, in 1999.

 

But his practice at Pierce Couch was mostly a mystery to his friends at the BMW Car Club of America, who knew JR mostly as the quiet, thoughtful advisor in the matters of Oktoberfest: where we should have it, which chapters would host which events, which talented volunteers would prove effective. He believed in strategic planning and transparent accountability—producing national events with few surprises, where every member had a good time. “JR considered Oktoberfest to be successful,” says one Club elder, “if the first-timers told him they’d be back next year.”

 

Services for JR Schneider are scheduled for January 3, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Luke’s Methodist Church, 222 NW 15th Street, OKC, (405) 232-1371.