Having come to Reed from Maryland, a little against my will, it didn't take long for me to realize that I wanted to remain there all four years. My first year was given to me by my uncle, but how would I manage to finance the annual $700 for room, board, and tuition for the next three years? Applications at several resorts did not work out, and then someone mentioned that Miss Brownlie was hiring students to work in the commons and dorms for the summer seminars and workshops, but she hired only those who had previous commons work. The pay was 40c an hour, and there would be many days of 12 hours work, doing everything demanded in the thrice-daily preparation of the dining hall, serving and cleaning after meals, scraping paint, and cleaning dorm bathrooms--you name it. Yes, Miss Brownlie needed one more, and she was willing to try me out starting May 15. Disaster came on the water and ice tea or milk. The washed glasses were placed in racks holding about 50 each, and two stacks perhaps four racks high were then placed on a cart to be pushed to their proper location on the shelves. "Push," however, meant just that. Unfortunately, I pulled, and one pile of the racks caught on the corner of a stove and crashed to the floor. Friends came from the dorms to investigate the noise. I cleaned up and subtracted the unbroken glasses from the total washed. I had broken 150 at one fell swoop. This was my first attempt at dish washing, and I really wanted that summer job. My phone call to Miss Brownlie interrupted her bridge game, and to this day, I can't believe that she didn't even sound upset with me, did not even mention my paying for those broken, and she gave me the summer job.

For the next three years I had steady summer and winter employment in every job offered in the commons, plus a free room in the commons basement one year when I acted as stock clerk. Summer work included our room and meals. With the help of minor scholarships and a student loan, I made up the difference from what I could expect from my family. The rapport I had with others in the same financial situation was only one aspect that made this experience special. Miss Brownlie was truly gracious, but she was also a demanding perfectionist, and was absolutely explicit in her posted instructions for each individual job--from cashiering the breakfast and lunch cafeteria lines to scrubbing the kitchen floor. The year following graduation I was a Navy ensign in charge of the ship's galley, and Miss Brownlie's instructions were modified mainly by the use of the terms "swabbing" and "deck." Reed gave me more than a liberal arts background, and Miss Brownlie's modus operandi probably tops that list.

Yes, we had seated dinners, and the hashers wore clean white starched jackets and stood at attention. Every piece of silverware and china, along with our every move in serving each course, was planned. Today's students may consider this "formal," but the lengthy conversations and casual lusty singing, along with observing the basic rules of courtesy in eating together, made these meals an important and memorable part of the life at Reed.

My Reed classmate and wife would be the first to say that I do tend to go "on and on." I could say more, but I trust that this gives some idea of what Ann Brownlie means to me, and that others may join me in paying her a well-deserved tribute.

A tribute to William McClendon
From Bill Bernhardt '60
Reading of the death of William McClendon [Reed faculty member 1967-71] in a recent issue triggered the following notes: William McClendon's name was passed on to me by a professor at Portland State when I was seeking to recruit a social science colleague for the 1968 Danforth Foundation/Reed College Summer Institute in African-American Culture for high school teachers. I soon discovered that Bill was already well known to many of the Reed faculty as the former proprietor of Portland's best known jazz club and for his active role as a spokesman for the Oregon NAACP.

We subsequently collaborated on planning and conducting the Danforth Summer Institute which was, I believe, the first organized attempt to bring knowledge of the black experience in America into the public school curriculum in the Northwest.

On the first day of classes, Bill promised everyone that he would be "provocative" and he seldom disappointed us. At the same time, his cordial manner and infectious sense of humor won over even those teachers who most resisted his point of view.

I'm sure others among his former colleagues and students join me in expressing condolences to his family and appreciation for his pioneering role in education.

A family tradition continues
From George Mills '70
You will be happy to know that starting in 2001, you can add our daughter, Rachel, to your subscription list, as she will be entering next fall's freshman class. We're quite proud of the tenth Mills from our family to attend Reed.