PROVO — Friends and colleagues hailed the life of former Brigham Young University and University of Utah vice president R.J. Snow, who died Tuesday night in a car accident near his Provo home.

Reuben Joseph Snow was 68 and preparing to teach his final term as a political science professor this summer before retiring. He held critical positions responsible for sports and student life and played a major role in the political science departments at BYU and the U. Since 2005, Snow had been a member of the Board of Trustees at Dixie State College, where he was a former student.

"Three Utah institutions of higher learning are mourning a great leader," BYU President Cecil Samuelson said. "R.J. changed the lives of generations of students, both in the classroom and through his thoughtful decisions as an administrator . . . He has been a personal friend and colleague for over 30 years with whom I was privileged to serve in both the church and the academy."

At 5:31 p.m. Tuesday, Snow was driving eastbound on 2230 North just before the intersection with Canyon Road when his 1996 Jeep Cherokee suddenly veered left across westbound traffic, Provo Police Capt. Rick Healey said. The vehicle went over the curb and sidewalk and struck a 3-foot high concrete retaining wall without any evidence of braking.

"We're checking to see if there was some medical reason why he lost control of the vehicle," Healey said.

Snow is survived by his wife Marilyn, four children and five grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Monday in Provo. The location and time have not been determined.

Snow worked at the U. for a dozen years, including a decade spent as both vice president for student and university relations and director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics.

U. President Michael Young said Snow's influence is felt on the hill more than 20 years after he left.

"It's a gloomy day up here at the university," Young said. "It is a sad day. His legacy is deep and pervasive. He will forever be remembered as an extraordinary man of this university."

Snow joined the U. as a staff assistant to then-President David P. Gardner, who had worked with Snow at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Gardner remembered him as remarkable and humble.

"R.J. Snow is not a replaceable part of my life," Gardner said. "Too many shared memories and moments during good and hard times laboring in behalf of the universities we served together. He was not only a double cousin but also a dear friend and close colleague over 40 years. In 1995, he married Sheila and me at our home in Park City. His loss is heavy to bear."

J.D. Williams, founding director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, said Snow strengthened the institute while overseeing "an unbelievable array of major university offices."