Lloyd J. Reynolds Collection

Biography

Lloyd Reynolds was born in 1902 in Bemidji, Minnesota.  He came to Portland at the age of 12 and graduated from Franklin High School in 1920.  He first earned a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University in botany and forestry and then in English from the University of Oregon.  He taught for two years at Roseburg High School before receiving a master's degree in English literature from the University of Oregon.  Reed College hired Reynolds as an Instructor in 1929 to teach creative writing, English, and then art history and the graphic arts.  He retired as a full professor in Art in 1969, but continued to teach workshops and classes.

Reynolds learned calligraphy through personal research, and his informal calligraphy classes in the 1940s resulted in for-credit classes being offered by Reed starting in 1949.  Calligraphy stretched to include book design, typography, and printmaking with woodcuts.  Reynolds' classes were always informative and effective but, more importantly, he taught a philosophy of life, a history of whatever subject was under study, and the movement and excitement of things; he pushed students to extend themselves and to see beneath the surface.  He inspired and generously shared his knowledge – a man in love with letters and literacy who left a legacy of beauty and passionately dedicated students, teachers, and friends.

Awarded a doctorate of humane letters by Reed in 1972 and many other honors and certificates, Reynolds received the unusual honor of being named Calligrapher Laureate of Oregon by Governor Tom McCall in 1972, the first such recognition of a calligrapher by a state.  Also a recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts in early 1978, Reynolds died in October of 1978, leaving his wife Judith, two sons, John and Richard, and several grandchildren.