Deceased October 12, 2019
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In Memory
Steve Reed died on Oct. 12 in Chattanooga, Tenn. He left a daughter, Patricia Garbarino; five grandchildren; and his younger sister, Claudia Reed.
Steve graduated from Brighton High School in Rochester, N.Y., a three-season letterman and a student council member. He ambled quietly onto the Amherst campus and was soon a respected classmate with many friends in our class and among the upperclassmen. His high school nickname, “Boo Boo,” stuck with him somehow among his close Amherst friends starting on the fourth floor of Morrow. Small in stature, quiet and completely unassuming, Steve was like a brother to those lucky enough to know him well on the football field, in the classroom, as a Valentine busman or at a tap. He majored in economics. He rarely discussed his work but kept his nose to the grindstone. With his trademark grin and quiet wit, Steve had a cadre of friends at Beta, DU and the other now-defunct fraternity houses where athletes were found around a tap.
Steve earned his law degree in 1977 from Indiana University and his L.L.M. in taxation from the University of Miami. In 1984 he began a 33-year career as a tax attorney for the Provident Life and Accident Co. in Chattanooga, from which he retired in 2017. Coworkers loved him. Steve was a kind friend who often kept to himself. He is remembered for his love and care of animals. Steve’s closest friends in his later years were those with whom he rode for “Team Bubba,” a serious Chattanooga cycling club. Steve’s nickname was “Grinder” for his grit on long, tough rides. He was also known for his encouragement of the newer “Bubba” cyclists by holding back to help them follow the long routes.
Charlie March ’71