News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Brittany, Mike, Ryan and Ashley Reed were on hand for the dedication.
Mike Reed accepted a plaque dedicating Reed stadium on behlaf of the family.
It was a ceremony that Bill and Jan Reed would have appreciated.
The night was electric with anticipation as a capacity crowd waited to see the Reeds’ beloved Outlaws take on the Stayton Eagles in a match that would determine the conference title.
It was Homecoming night and the court was dressed in their finest, awaiting the halftime announcement of the Queen and King.
For a couple so dedicated to children and schools, the setting could not have been more fitting.
Bill Reed’s friend and school board colleague Glen Lasken addressed the crowd of some 1,500 people with evident conviction and emotion.
He recalled receiving the painful news that Bill and Jan had been killed in a private plane crash on July 1 and the immediate sense that something must be done to honor their dedication to Sisters schools.
“In so many ways, Bill and Jan were the heart and soul of this school district,” Lasken said.
Lasken chaired a committee that decided to name the Outlaws football field Reed Stadium in the couple’s honor.
A bronze plaque depicting the Three Sisters with five birds sweeping across the mountainscape — two in front, three behind — will be affixed to a large stone at the stadium’s entrance.
Jeff Wester crafted an iron sign denoting “Reed Stadium” that hangs from the log archway.
As Brittany, Ryan and Ashley Reed looked on, their uncle Mike Reed accepted the plaque on behalf of the family.
His words reflected the spirit of the evening. Thanking the committee, the school district and the community, he said, “Thank all of you and get ready for a great game and Go Outlaws!”
For Outlaw spirit was the characteristic most in evidence in honoring the Reeds.
Lasken recalled a story about a Sisters man who asked Bill the perennial Oregon question:
“Are you a Duck or a Beaver?” Reed (who graduated from the University of Oregon and was quite proud of the affiliation) replied: “Well... I’m an Outlaw!”
Lasken also recalled Jan’s commitment to education, which evolved out of her devotion to her children. She was active in fund-raising efforts for SOAR and was among the most active SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) readers the district has ever had.
Her friends recalled that Jan would interrupt whatever she was doing to make an appointment with her reading partner and she was often seen animatedly sharing a book with a student on the elementary school stage.
“There was no deed she would not do, no call for help that she would not answer,” Lasken said.
Outlaw football was a passion for the Reeds, particularly for Bill.
“We can all conjure up the image of Bill prowling the sidelines like a big papa bear looking after his cubs,” Lasken said.
That presence was felt by many in the stands as they watched a thriller of a game (see story, page 4). Bill’s cubs came through in the fourth quarter to beat the Stayton Eagles — a win that will likely clinch the league title.
In an evening of moments that seemed just right, it was a crowning moment: A win on the first night at Reed Stadium.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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