Saturday, July 12, former White House press secretary Tony Snow, 53, died of cancer.

I certainly never knew him, yet after following his too-short career for several years, his death nevertheless was as if a friend had passed away.

Whether reading his commentary, listening to him on the radio or watching him on TV, one could not help but feel his animated, vibrant, expansive and infectious energy.

Whether you agreed or disagreed with him on a particular point of view, he never seemed to alienate or annoy. As the White House press secretary from May 2006 to September 2007, he brought life to a job that had become, for many, it seemed, robotic, listless, plastic and lifeless.

He was genuine, intelligent and real. News junkies appreciated his matter-of-fact, conversational and soft-spoken style -- a profound contrast with the maddening media world folks are often shouting about.

Many got to know him in 1996, when he served as the host of the "Fox News Sunday" program. It was a role he maintained until 2003.

Others became familiar with his work earlier on, when he was a columnist for USA Today from 1994 to 2000.

According to published accounts of his life, he was born in Berea, Ky., but grew up in Cincinnati. It was in high school that he first showed interest in politics and current events; however, many fondly remember his musical talents.

According to a 2006 article by Julie Hirschfeld Davis in The Sun, in high school he played saxophone in a band called Dual-Headed Drew and the Perky Pistons.

In 1977, he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Davidson College, located in a small town of the same name near Charlotte, N.C.

He gave his roommates at Davidson headaches, wrote Davis, "teaching himself flute by playing along with Jethro Tull albums."

In 2003, he performed on stage with "the band's front man, Ian Anderson." Later, he played with a band of "aging professionals," called Beats Workin', according to Davis.

After he graduated from Davidson, he went to work in 1979 in Greensboro for The Greensboro Record as an editorial writer. (Now known as The Greensboro News and Record.)

Snow then worked at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk from 1981-82, until he went with The Detroit News from 1984-87.

It was when he later worked for The Washington Times, 1987-91, that he caught the eye of President George H. W. Bush and went to work for the White House as a media affairs aide and speech writer (1991-93).

In a recent tribute published by Davidson College, his political philosophy professor Lance Stell recalled an organized debate he once had with Snow in which Stell was assigned "to argue against the viability of libertarianism, and (Snow) argued for it."

Stell noted that Snow "was passionately interested in political philosophy and believed deeply that people's political beliefs had real meaning in the world."

I would venture to say that as a result of his passion, our lives have more meaning.

He taught us how to live and he taught us how to die -- with strong measures of courage. May God bless his family.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail kdayhoff@carr.org.

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