Deceased December 16, 2011

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In Memory

Michael Reid came to Amherst from Madison (N.J.) High School. He arrived with several delightful personality traits embedded in his DNA, including an infectious enthusiasm for life and for learning, a whimsical sense of humor and a respect for the views of other people. These traits remained his hallmarks for the rest of his life.

In freshman year, Michael shared a triple with Andy von Salis ’75 and Bill Rawson ’75. He joined the staff of WAMH and soon became news director. The job included broadcasting the news fresh from the Associated Press teletype at 11 p.m. each night. One night in the spring of 1972, Michael fed the story of the anti-war protests at Westover Air Force Base to college radio stations around the country.

As a sophomore, Michael joined Phi Delt. For three years, he lived in that rambling mansion at 32 Northampton Road and worked on an economics degree. Following college, he attended the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and settled after school in Washington, D.C. During the oil price spikes of the late 1970's, Michael acquired an expertise in electric utility ratemaking, with a particular focus on the use of price signals to reduce power demand during peak load periods. Michael found positions with brainy consulting firms in the D.C. area and advised utilities around the country.

In 1983, Michael married Tricia Grable, an artist whom he met at a contra dance. They were made for each other, and their relationship brought boundless joy to Michael and to the friends who spent time with them. Tricia and Michael raised two daughters, Anna ’10 and Carson, currently a student at Oberlin. They loved being parents and passed on to their girls priceless gifts of creativity, kindness and enthusiasm.

Michael and his family moved to Boulder, Colo., in 1996. They found a house at the edge of a meadow park that sweeps out to the front range of the Rockies. Michael loved that view, and he sank roots in the Boulder community, playing concertina once a week with a group of Irish traditional musicians.

In the spring of 2010, Michael emailed his friends that he had contracted lymphoma and that he planned to blog about his “adventures” with cancer therapy. For the next 18 months, Michael published a vivid, courageous and typically optimistic blog of his treatment regimen. Many of us have lost friends and relatives to cancer, but few of those patients chronicle their experience with the wit and intellectual curiosity that animated Michael’s diary.

Michael died on Dec. 16, 2011, at his home in Boulder, surrounded by his family. He is survived by Tricia, their daughters Anna and Carson, and a large community of supportive relatives, professional colleagues, Irish musicians and friends.

Matthew Cohen ‘75 and Andy von Salis ‘75