Baylor University lost one of its great ambassadors Thursday when longtime professor Robert Reid passed away a week after his 88th birthday.
Reid first came to Baylor in 1946, earning his master’s degree in history a year later. He then headed to Brown University for his doctoral work, but before he could complete it, he answered the call to return to Baylor as a history professor. He would remain in that role from 1948 until his retirement in 1992, including 25 years as chair of the history department. He also served as adviser to the Baylor Chamber of Commerce for many years and as an unofficial University historian, from time to time meeting with students to share stories of Baylor’s early years.
A fourth-generation Bear, Reid in 1982 was honored as one of Baylor’s first two Master Teachers (along with Ann Miller; the two are pictured at right); he also received an honorary doctorate from Baylor in 1997. A trust fund in Reid’s honor was created for Chamber in 1983; eight years later, one of his former students (now a professor at Purdue) established the Robert L. Reid Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching in the Humanities, given each year to a Baylor professor for his or her teaching excellence. The Robert L. Reid Distinguished Lecture Series, also created in 1991, has brought such luminaries as former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell to campus.
Do you have a favorite story about or memory of Professor Reid? Submit your story here, and we’ll run some favorites on the Baylor Proud blog in a few days. [UPDATED: Read alumni's memories of Reid here.] News of Reid’s passing has already led to the creation of a Facebook page in his honor. One of his pupils, Todd Ferguson (BA ’04), shared his memories a few years ago in this Baylor Magazine story, and others talked to the Lariat for this story in today’s paper.
Sic ’em, Professor Reid, for your lifetime of service to Baylor and her students!
