Jefferson grad earned many accomplishments
Robert Eugene Reynolds was born on Dec. 7, 1922 in Portland. He entered into heavenly rest on Feb. 3, 2013 in Riverside, Calif. He was 90 years of age.
He was the son of Phil and Elise Reynolds. His mother was Oregon Mother of the Year in 1957. His father was a Red Cap supervisor for the railroad and active in the NAACP in Portland.
Robert attended Highland Elementary and went on to graduate from Jefferson High School in 1941 where he received the Hopkin Jenkins award for best athlete. He excelled in football, baseball and track at both Jefferson and the University of Oregon. He was the first African American quarterback at the University of Oregon. He graduated from Oregon in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science in history.
He was a probation officer in Multnomah County before moving to Los Angeles, where he earned a Masters Degree in political science from the University of Southern California. He worked with President Kennedy and his brothers Robert and Ted on the President’s Council on Juvenile Deliquency and Youth Crime in the 1960s. He was the Deputy Manpower Administrator for the Department of Labor in Los Angeles, for 15 years.
He was married to Jacqueline Frances Thomas who preceded him in death in 1995.
Robert is survived by his three children, Gary, Larry and Rebecca; a grandson Phillip Sr; great grandson Phillip Jr.; daughter in laws, LaLita and Stephanie; a brother, Dr. Walter C. Reynolds of Beaverton; and a sister, Phyllis Smith of Portland.
Bob Reynolds was one of Jefferson high school and the University of Oregon’s best all-around athletes, but he was not the first Black quarterback at the University of Oregon. In 1927, Jefferson high school graduate Bobby Robinson became the University of Oregon’s first black quarterback. Please see my website at oregonstars.com under biographies for Robinson’s story. Also see the University of Oregon documentary “Forgotten Ducks: the story of Charles Williams and Bobby Robinson.”
Hello Ms. Hachmann,
You are correct. Robert Reynolds was not the first black quarterback at the University of Oregon. The obituary stands corrected. Although for many years, in the Portland area, he was regarded as the first all around best athlete/quarterback/halfback of his time. He faced many racial challenges in sports, however accepted the challenge and moved forward with courage and skill.