Everett Reed
Everett Reed: A Stalwart of General Chemistry Education has Passed
by Paul Lahti
In March 2025, at age 98, Professor Emeritus Everett L. Reed, Jr., passed away. He is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, and multiple grandchildren. He has also left an enduring legacy with his wry smile, friendly humor, and heartfelt dedication to teaching thousands of students during decades of service to the university and the Chemistry Department. His sunny personality lit all around him during the many years that he helped build Chemistry’s outstanding and award-winning excellence in campus education.
Son Dave Reed (BS ChemE '83) posted a moving post honoring father Everett at a link given at the bottom of this article. Everett was Massachusetts born and raised in an environment that valued education. He served in the Navy during World War II. He and wife Barbara had the happiness of a long marriage, children, and grandchildren. As Dave's post makes clear, he was a joyful person who spread that to people around him. The post also makes the point most central to this remembrance: “Everett’s life passion was learning.”
Everett did not just take joy in learning — he wanted to share it with everyone he met. His understated, ubiquitous smile and dry chuckle welcomed all who entered Gen Chem's realm. He was not much ballyhooed, but a well-deserving university Distinguished Teacher nominee. From the 1960s to the 2000s, even after his 1995 “retirement,” he just kept on spreading his omnivorous joy of learning. He did not run an independent research program, but certainly had an independent inquiry and discussion program! He even sat in courses run by some colleagues to find out what they were doing (they had to be sharp with him there!) He helped anchor so many activities that enriched student learning. He was an Undergraduate Chemistry Club advisor, a perennial Chemistry Olympiad participant, and an ACS Student Affiliates Advisor. He was crafty and skillful at accumulating chemical goodies that made Gen Chem synonymous with dramatic in-lecture demonstrations. He was strongly involved in modernizing Gen Chem in the 1990s, including working on computer programs for lab experiments. He was a UMass Faculty Fellow in Southwest, and even a Faculty Senate member. Well after his “retirement,” he was still volunteering for long hours of open help desk duty for Gen Chem. It was easy to take for granted that he would always be there, like air or bedrock. That worked fine for him, and (thankfully) for Chemistry, especially during multiple system-wide budget crunches that strained the department’s leadership teaching role on campus. Those who needed to depend on him, when he was needed, totally knew he'd be there. No fuss. No self-advertising. Everett was one of the phalanx — modest in numbers but great in experience and dedication — who held the line during some difficult, often frustrating times. And, he was a big contributor among those who pushed forward that line to the department’s present pre-eminence in undergraduate education. Dependable, experienced, totally capable, always ready, with that smile, that chuckle, and a “Connections”-worthy story about any topic of interest (and interests as wide-ranging as his library).
He was old school. He was there for the department and for the students he taught. Our older colleagues in Chemistry were privileged to know and work with him. Our younger colleagues will keep building on the legacy that he and his cohort gave us. It is not an easy time right now. His endlessly sunny attitude is much missed. We aim to keep the light as bright as he always strove to keep it.
Everett’s substantial personal science library is presently in the care of his son Ken Reed in Amherst. He can be contacted at [email protected] to check out this great selection of free science books.
Dave Reed’s tribute to his father Everett can be accessed on LinkedIn at
bit.ly/4dJUexa