Sisters couple killed in plane crash

Reed’s school board service reflected commitment to education

By Don Robinson

As a community leader, separate from his extensive business activities, Bill Reed made education his top priority.

That was partly for personal reasons; he and his wife Jan had three children who went through Sisters public schools. But it also reflected a larger vision, a broader sense of responsibility, that became evident during the 13 years Reed served on the Sisters School Board.

Ironically, Reed’s last term on the board officially ended June 30, one day before a private plane crash took his life and that of his wife of 24 years.

In an interview several months ago, Reed recalled that he joined the school board in 1992, the same year that his youngest child, Brittany, was starting kindergarten, He decided to retire, by not running for re-election, this year — the year Brittany graduated from high school.

“It was perfect timing,” he said with satisfaction.

Reed was the board’s chairman when Steve Swisher came over from the valley in 1996 to compete for the Sisters superintendency. Reed was the principal negotiator with the new man on behalf of the board. Swisher, now the superintendent of Crook County Schools, recalls that experience as providing an auspicious start in a position that lasted seven years for him in Sisters.

Looking back after Reed’s death last weekend, Swisher said three thing stand out in his memory of Reed as a board member: He was “a very strong supporter of co-curricular activities, not just athletics but music, art, dance…everything of value to the students.” He generally “had a longer-term vision of the future for the betterment of the schools. He was always thinking about what’s the next step.”

And in board discussions he was “a little measured.” When the board got into a conflict “he would sit back and say, ‘Let’s really think about that.’”

Swisher said he appreciated Reed “for his cheerfulness and his caring attitude.” And he agreed that despite Reed’s prominence as a Realtor, he never used his board position just to hold down property taxes or promote a pro-development agenda.

“There were many times when Bill voted for something that personally cost him a lot of money in property taxes,” Swisher said.

The current Sisters superintendent, Ted Thonstad, has served for less than a year. But he, too, came to appreciate Reed.

“Sometimes when you’ve got a board member who’s been on the board as long as Bill you have a question about how involved and how active he’ll be…But he was a very involved board member this last year,” Thonstad said.

“Beginning with the local option levy, he went out and raised the money so we could run that campaign and he pretty much did that single-handedly…Another thing I’d say about Bill was that he was a very supportive parent. You know it always makes a superintendent feel good when board members are at events — basketball games, football games, soccer games. Bill was at all of those. He was very involved with the kids…I know Brittany was playing volleyball but that didn’t mean Bill had to be at soccer games and football games, but he was.”

Thonstad said Reed was also invaluable providing background on longstanding school issues, from water rights for the new high school to the sale of the Lundgren Mill site. After the last board meeting, Thonstad told Reed he hoped he wouldn’t disconnect himself from district matters. Reed responded, “I’m always available for a cup of coffee. You let me know when you need help and I’m available.”

“I’m gonna miss him just a whole bunch,” Thonstad concluded. “The shock of dealing with (his death) and knowing that I’m not gonna have the benefit of that institutional memory just really concerns me. Bill was a huge supporter of the school district and a firm believer in education. He wanted a top-rated school system in Sisters.”

Warm personal comments also came from Reed’s colleague Glen Lasken, an attorney who is the current chairman of the Sisters board. Lasken has served for six years, not quite half the time that Reed was on the board.

Lasken said Reed “gave his heart and soul to bettering the education system. He was a good board member in that he was willing to work with other people and be a team player, yet he had firm convictions and beliefs and he would stand by those beliefs sometimes in the face of controversy and adversity. He would defend what he thought was right.”

Lasken said, “He and I developed a camaraderie, but he became much more than a fellow board member to me. He became one of my best friends. Losing Bill was like losing a brother.”

Lapsing into the present tense, common for those who have lost someone close, Lasken said, “The most surprising thing about Bill is the difference between his appearance and his character. He’s not very flamboyant or polished, and some people who don’t know him might think of him as being on the gruff side…But as you get to know Bill you find out that he is an extremely caring person. He has a heart of gold. He cares about people and doing the right thing. He may look like a bear but he’s really a teddy bear inside. He’s one of the most gentle, caring and generous people I’ve met.”

He concluded by saying that Reed “leaves an incredible legacy. He leaves behind a middle school that is in very good shape, a beautiful new high school that he helped (finance and build). We have an outstanding superintendent running the district now and good administrators under him. Education in the district is as sound as it’s ever been and all of these component parts of success are due in part to Bill’s leadership and stewardship.

“He can look down from above and see the fruits of his labor down here in Sisters.”

Another longtime school observer, Jan Martin, offered these comments: “I was…just sick at the news of the passing of Bill and Jan Reed. I have served as school board secretary 11 of the 13 years Bill served on (the board). During that time I appreciated Bill’s dedication to the community, schools, staff and students.

“Bill and Jan will be deeply missed in this community for a long time to come.

“My heart and prayers go out to Ashley, Ryan and Brittany.”