Alumni remember Robert Reid

As we noted last week, the Baylor family lost a good one last week when longtime professor Robert Reid passed away at the age of 88. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. this Thursday at Grace Gardens Funeral Home in Waco, with a public graveside service the next day at 2 p.m. at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco.

We asked for your thoughts on Professor Reid, and boy, did you come through. Here are just a few:

“In the late ’60s one of the classes I had under Robert Reid met in the Hankamer Business School Auditorium. As he spoke of the Huns, a thunderstorm outside suddenly grew in intensity. As power was knocked out in the building and the auditorium went instantly dark, Professor Reed screamed, ‘Take cover, the Huns are here!’ Just one of many memories from his classes.”
– Gary Loudermilk, BA ’69

“I will always remember him describing ‘the Visigoths oozing purple all over the map!’ He was a real class act that hooked thousands of students on the study of history.”
– Gary J. Smith, BA ’80

“It was an honor and a privilege to know Robert Reid. He was a very special man who thought more of others than himself. … I went to Baylor from southern California, so my junior year (1978) I had no one to spend Thanksgiving with. Mr. Reid took me to Salado (Stage Coach Inn) for Thanksgiving lunch and then over the next few days he and I visited Baylor at Independence and Galveston, staying in a very nice hotel and eating very well (things I didn’t do much of as a college student). It was a Thanksgiving I will never forget. … One of the classes I took from him was Greek history. I remember he sought to teach us the Greek way, ‘know yourself, avoid excess!’ I got a new car in 1980 and I wanted to get a personalized license plate. I was one of the Chamber bear mascot trainers so I asked him what the word bear was in Greek and he said ‘ARKTOS.’ I got that license plate in Texas and have had it on my primary car for the past 30 years (now I have ARKTOS on New Mexico plates).
Mr. Reid was my favorite professor and he impacted my life. A part of him will continue to live on in me.”
– Rick Kraft, BA ’80, JD ’82

“I was so lucky to have him for four courses. He was so wonderful that I convinced my husband, a U of Minnesota grad, to take a continuing ed class Mr. Reid was teaching. After hearing Mr. Reid lecture, Alan understood what I raved about. I always loved hearing about the constant practical jokes that Reid and Dr. Paul Armitstead played on each other.”
– Julie Campbell Carlson, BA ’86

“Honoring Prof. Robert Reid, universally beloved Baylor icon. His love of BU, and students’ love of him, were bottomless. Glorious man.”
– Don Willett, BBA ’88

“Greatly saddened about the passing of Baylor’s beloved Professor Robert L. Reid. The world has lost a legend today.”
– Roxanne Wilson, BBA ’00

“Before my time at Baylor, Professor Reid was an active sponsor of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce. While I was there he was still a very dear friend of the Chamber and he would always share much wisdom with us during pledging and would take the new members out to eat each semester. I was also fortunate to take a trip to Independence, Texas, with many members along with Reid where he would narrate old stories from when Baylor was established there. He was loved and will be missed by so many generations of men and women.”
– Marcus McDaniel, BBA ’06

“He was a mentor and friend to so many, especially the Chamber. He will be deeply missed by generations of individuals who hold the motto ‘Anything for Baylor’ so dear.”
– Justin Kralemann, Baylor senior

Sic ’em once more, Professor Reid, for what you’ve meant to so many Baylor students over the years!