Charles H. Reid Jr. recently passed away at age 90. He was the last of the “Old Fort warriors” who were responsible, but seldom received the accolades, for ensuring the educational institution known as Fort Lewis College had a life after Hesperus. The honor roll of FLC Hesperus administrators includes Charles Rae, John Reed, Ned Wallace, Nick Heidy, Dan Black, Don Whalen, Bill Pugh, Joe Wolcott and Randall Taylor.
In Charlie’s 40 years of service to Fort Lewis (a record until recently broken by faculty member Duane Smith), he served many roles, as his Durango Herald obituary listed. But he is best remembered for his tireless efforts in the admission and records area.
Much of his work was done behind the scenes, and most of his accomplishments were not of the ilk drawing praise in the news or awards from his colleagues. But without his efforts of meticulous record keeping, the thousands of alumni from his tenure – and even those who only “attended” – would have had a more difficult time advancing to their goals.
If you attended even one class at Fort Lewis College, I ask you to send a donation to the FLC Foundation, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO 81301. Note your donation is for the Charles H. Reid Jr. Educational Scholarship Fund. If just a fraction of the students who attended during the 40 years of Charlie’s service respond, the scholarship will have enough funding to continue Charlie’s goal of “helping Fort Lewis stay viable” and will provide a proper acknowledgement of a deserving man.
Harlan Steinle, Fort Lewis College vice president admission & development, emeritus
Mesa, Ariz.
