Fun Facts About Reed’s Presidents

Did you know four Reed presidents went to Amherst College? Well, now you do! Here’s an assortment of tidbits about the lives of the Reed presidents, including bicycle adventures, fly fishing, bear hugs, and two presidents who had the same wife (thankfully, not at the same time!).

William Trufant Foster, 1910–19: Promoted the simplified spelling of the English language, a movement to spell words as they were pronounced. He envisioned Reed as a college with no divisional sports or fraternities/sororities, a de-emphasis of grades, and senior theses with orals, which are all still currently the case. He taught oratory and debate at Reed, and his ashes were scattered in the Reed Lake.

Richard F. Scholz, 1921–24: Sorted Reed’s divisions into Literature and Languages; History and Social Science; Mathematics and Natural Science; and Philosophy, Religion, Psychology, and Linguistics. His wife, Cheryl Scholz, also worked at Reed and later married Reed president #7, E.B. MacNaughton; whom Scholz and MacNaughton dorms are named after.

Norman F. Coleman, 1925–34: Coined the phrase “Comrades of the Quest”, from which the Quest takes its name. Before he came to Reed, he served in an Army machine gun battalion in World War I and taught at Cornell, the University of Colorado, the University of North Carolina, and Dartmouth College.

Dexter M. Keezer, 1934–42: Loved fly fishing and all things outdoorsy. He approved the construction of the Reed ski cabin, and wrote a letter to the Oregonian in 1939 stating that “[t]he proper position on fly versus egg fishing is that no civilized citizen uses a salmon egg.”

Arthur F. Scott, 1942–45: On his 75th birthday, he received a blue three-speed bicycle, a gift from the Chemistry department, and rode for the first time in 40 years. A student commented on his bike adventure, “A little wobbly, but not too bad for a beginner.” Reed’s Chemistry building is named after him, and the Reactor wouldn’t exist without his support.

Peter H. Odegard, 1945–48: Wore many hats, including advocate for faculty pay increases, lover of the arts, broadener of the student body’s geographic reach, and caretaker of Reed buildings. He believed that “a college must be something more than an intellectual delicatessen store.” During World War II, he had served as special assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury.

E.B. MacNaughton, 1948–52: Wore even more hats further afield, including designer of the 1910 Sellwood YMCA (now the Sellwood Community Center), chairman of the board of the First National Bank, president of the Oregonian, first president of the Nippon Society of Oregon (today known as the Japan-America Society of Oregon), and a member of the first State Advisory Committee of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, which created an award in his name to commemorate his service. He was originally an interim appointee, but went on to serve as president of Reed for four years without pay, as Reed was the “greatest little college in the world.” Nickname: “Mr. Mac”.

Duncan S. Ballantine, 1952–54: A controversial figure who involved himself more directly in disciplining students and faculty, to the displeasure of both. Among other things, he nullified the faculty constitution and broke the tenure contract of a Reed professor suspected of being a Communist leader by the House Un-American Activities Committee, putting him at loggerheads with the faculty council. After resigning due to these controversies, he went on to serve as president of the American College for Girls in Istanbul.

Richard H. Sullivan, 1956–67: Increased faculty salaries, presided over the construction of several new buildings such as the Bookstore and campus center, and expanded the geographic reach of the student body, which “succeeded in restoring the sense of a Reed community” according to later president Paul E. Bragdon. He unsuccessfully tried to add a full graduate program to Reed. In 2005, the Steele East dorm was renamed Sullivan Hall after him.

Victor G. Rosenblum, 1968–70: Sought to expand Reed’s arts and humanities programs, but ran into financial difficulties. He had his hands full dealing with issues such as the aforementioned lack of money, controversies over admissions practices and abnormally low tenure approvals, a December 1969 tuition strike by 100 students (60 of whom he successfully negotiated with), and the famous week-long Eliot Hall sit-in in December 1968 led by the Black Student Union (BSU) to campaign for a Black Studies program. In January 1969, the trustees compromised by creating a Black Studies program which was not led by the BSU, but the program only lasted a few years.

Paul E. Bragdon, 1971–88: Brought Reed out of financial difficulties, oversaw the establishment of Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, and managed the construction of Vollum and the Studio Art building. Prior to his presidency, he was in the Marine Corps, a practicing lawyer in New York City, New York City’s Legislative Representative and Press Secretary to the mayor, and advisor to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He has been awarded honorary degrees from Amherst College, Whitman College, Oregon Health & Science University, Pacific University, Lewis & Clark College, and Reed College(!).

James L. Powell, 1988–91: Raised faculty salaries again, focused on Reed’s position as a leader in science education, and “created an administrative presence that was decidedly more marked than that of previous Reed presidents.” Under pressure from the federal government, he instituted a stricter AOD policy that ended the tradition of free beer at student events.

Steven S. Koblik, 1992–2001: Decided to stop submitting data to the U.S. News & World Report for “best colleges.” He was often the recipient of student pranks and took them with grace, plus he often treated students to pizza! Despite not wanting to be known as a “construction president,” he presided over the construction of Kaul, the ETC, the GCC, Naito/Sully, and Bragdon. After his presidency at Reed, he became the president of the Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.

Colin S. Diver, 2002–12: Was known for his “costumed appearances with his wife Joan at college events, and enthusiastic bear-hugs of the joyful seniors who paraded through the registrar’s office each spring.” He presided over updates to the HUM 110 curriculum, the creation of the Environmental Studies major, the expansion of financial aid, and the construction of the PAB.

John R. Kroger, 2012–18: Was a federal prosecutor, law professor, United States Marine, Attorney General of Oregon, and policy adviser to the U.S. Treasury and Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign prior to becoming president of Reed. He wrote a book, Convictions, about his career prosecuting the mafia and Enron. During his presidency, financial aid was further expanded and the computer science, neuroscience, dance, and comparative literature majors were added.

Audrey Bilger, 2019–present: A prolific author of creative nonfiction, journalism, and scholarly works, touching on such topics as “comedy, Jane Austen, the English novel, feminist theory, popular culture, and gender and sexuality.” Before becoming president of Reed, she was a member of the English faculty at Oberlin College and professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College.