Schneller, Meir

Professor Meir Schneller of Blacksburg, died Sunday, April 10, 2011, in a glider accident near New Castle. Dr. Schneller was born October 20, 1941, in Tel-Aviv, Israel, to Nathan and Yoheved Schneller. He served as an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces during the Six-Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and the Lebanese War (to which he was opposed). In 1967, he received a bachelor’s degree in math and physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received an MBA in 1971, from the University of California at Berkeley, and a doctorate in Business with a specialty in finance in 1974, from New York University. Dr. Schneller taught in the Pamplin School of Business, Department of Finance, at Virginia Tech from 1992, until his death. His research appeared in top journals such as the Journal of Finance and American Economic Review. Dr. Schneller was an avid glider and member of the Blue Ridge Soaring Society, and had a life-long passion for classical music, the arts, politics, and business scholarship. His greatest passion however, was his family. He is survived by Debora, his loving wife of 37 years; his sister, Sarah Nikolayevsky; and his sons, Jonathan (“Yoni”) and Ariel. The Schneller family will be holding a memorial service for Meir at the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center this Friday at 3 p.m. They will also be receiving visitors at their home every night from Wednesday to Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg.