Robert Mcleod Reed

Robert McLeod Reed, 93, of Tulsa, Oklahoma passed away on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at Villages of Southern Hills. Arrangements are under the care of Palmer Marler Funeral Home of Stillwater. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 10:00am at the First Methodist Church with Senior Pastor Mike Chaffin. A burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Garden in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Robert (Bob) McLeod Reed was born Feb. 13, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois. He received his elementary and high school education in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Bob started college at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana in the fall of 1939. He would not have even gone to college if it had not been for one of his teachers who suggested he take a test where he was awarded a scholarship. Bob was drafted into the Army and served in WWII as a medical technician in the 261st Medical Detachment Ordnance Battalion from Oct. 8, 1942, to March 13, 1946. During this time, he was awarded two overseas service bars, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Battle Stars, Good Conduct Medal and WWII Victory Medal. Bob returned to college at the University of Illinois and graduated in the fall of 1946 with a bachelor's degree in general agriculture (major in agronomy). He then went on to receive his masters degree in agronomy in 1948.
On June 19, 1948, Bob married Esther Jean Iris Thompson (who he met in college). He worked on his doctorate and finished everything but the thesis in 1950. Bob accepted a position on the staff at OAMC (Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College), later renamed Oklahoma State University, in the fall of 1950 when he and Jean moved to Stillwater. He went back to Illinois to finish his thesis (written and oral) during Christmas break in January 1952. Bob taught the Beginning Soils class and a few others in the Agronomy Department at Oklahoma State University until he retired in 1987 after 37 years of service.
Nearly all students in the OSU College of Agriculture take several basic classes and one of those is Agronomy 2124, Fundamentals of Soil Science. Bob estimated that he taught over 7,000 students during his career. Most students knew him as Rapid Robert who taught Rocks and Clods or Weeds and Seeds. He also had the talent of remembering almost all of his students names over 37 years of teaching. Bob was also known for starting his classes with a good Sooner, Texas Aggie or Polish joke. Puns were also a favorite.
His accomplishments include:
Associate Member of Farmhouse Fraternity - 1954
Member of the Board of Publications for the O'Colly (OSU newspaper)
Member of the OSU Faculty Council for six years (1963-1966 and 1968-1971)
Advisor and Counselor to the OSU Chapter of Alpha Zeta
Alpha Zeta Outstanding Teacher Award twice
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Student Publications (1973-1979)
Chairman of Undergraduate Teaching
1988 Master Professional Agronomist Award (Outstanding Contributions in Soil Science)
Chairman of Soil Science Undergraduate Teaching Program
Degree Program Advisor for Soil Science
Faculty Advisor for Soil Science
Secretary of Golden Kiwanis for several years
Bob loved to play racquetball and did so until his 70s, often playing much younger men. He and his wife Jean also enjoyed playing bridge. Bob was an avid sports fan (baseball was a favorite), mostly enjoying sports on television. But, he and Jean did attend OSU basketball games.
They lived in the same home at Sixth Avenue and Lincoln Street for over 50 years. Next, Bob and Jean lived at Golden Oaks Village in Stillwater, Oklahoma, until Jean passed away in 2011. Then, Bob moved to The Villages at Southern Hills Assisted Living in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
He was a people person who loved to find out the stories of other peoples lives. From students to tour group members to nurses, Bob always shifted the focus from himself to learn about others. His humble, nonjudgmental ways will be missed by many.
Survivors include three daughters: Mary Reed of Addison, Texas; Julie Reed Bell, her husband Adam Bell, and their children Jordan and Lauren of Charlotte, North Carolina; Barbara Reed Bates and her husband Phil Bates of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, two grandchildren, Chad Bates of Santa Monica, California, and Jessie Bates Wilson and her husband Tyler Wilson, and one great grandchild, Lincoln Robert Wilson, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years Jean Thompson Reed and his parents Victor Herbert Reed and Mary Margareth McLeod Reed.
In lieu of flowers, donation can be made to a scholarship set up for him by searching for the Robert M. Reed Plant and Soil Sciences Scholarship under the Give link on the following website: http://www.osugiving.com. After clicking on Give, donors can click the Search here screen and can search for Robert Reed. The Robert M. Reed Plant and Soil Sciences Scholarship should be the first scholarship to appear and donors can donate to the scholarship right there on the website. Donations may also be sent to the order of Oklahoma State University Foundation, referencing the Robert M. Reed Plant and Soil Sciences Scholarship in the Memo line, P.O. Box 1749, Stillwater, OK 74076-1749.