Kit Reed

When Christopher (“Kit”) Reed retired as executive editor in 2007, concluding 39 years of service to this magazine’s readers, we observed, “Had he not written with such humor and grace, and with such wry appreciation for the University’s traditions and foibles, his colleagues would have resented bitterly his calm confidence at the keyboard, no matter how pressing the deadlines.” Fortunately, he was not really gone after that leave-taking: he continued crafting Treasure into early 2015, with a final column last spring, and he manned The College Pump through this past May-June.

Outside the office, Kit was an extraordinary plantsman (colleagues cherish specimens from his garden), and although ill, he took an immediate shine to the July-August article on botanizing expeditions by the Arnold Arboretum—a place he loved and had written about beautifully. His death, on July 21, reminds us of the high standards he set and maintained so well for so long, and of the dear friend we have lost.

~The Editors