A Life Dedicated to Creating Change with 2022 Inductee Ron Reed
The impact of Ron Reed’s work can be felt across the state, from Vermillion to Pierre to the Black Hills. For over five decades, Dr. Reed has worked tirelessly and behind the scenes to enrich the lives of individuals with special needs and all South Dakotans. He joined Marci Burdick for a conversation about his life’s work.
“I lived in two different worlds. I started out in the theater…and the birth of our daughter Kathleen, who was severely handicapped, that changed our lives.” reflected Ron. Not finding the adequate care and education, for their daughter, that they had hoped for, the Reeds left South Dakota and relocated to Indiana. Here they found a fitting program for Kathleen, and Ron took up a position as the chair of the theater department at Purdue University.
“Anything is possible if you just open the right door,” said Ron about his transition to Secretary of Education and Cultural Affairs in South Dakota. At the time, Ron was happy in his position in Indiana and even more happy that his daughter was getting the special attention she needed to thrive. The governor of South Dakota at the time, Governor Richard Kneip, set out to convince Ron to return to South Dakota. Ron met with the Governor and was steadfast that he would only return if the state got more seriously involved in providing special education for children in need. Governor Kneip agreed, and Ron found himself back in South Dakota, ready to create change.
Governor Richard Kneip described Dr. Ron Reed as “a visionary in terms of identifying and dealing with the challenges and problems in education.” Ron served at a pivotal moment in the national fight for disability rights as he advocated for and led the state’s implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States.
After his tenure in Pierre, Ron moved his family to Rapid City and he took his specialized knowledge and knack for building theater sets to create Reed Construction Company. His construction company specialized in building residences for people with disabilities. He also served as Administrator at Black Hills Special Services (BHSS), working to design and supervise the construction of their new building in Rapid City.
Ron shared a story about an individual he would frequently visit whom he was able to help through his work with BHSS, stating, “Wow I mean what a door we were able to open for him, and for others through this work…it’s kind of like a blessing and you get excited. You have more enthusiasm to go out and do more.” Ron is an amazing example of what it means to dedicate one’s life to a good cause.
To learn more about 2022 Inductee Ron Reed, visit his legacy page here on our website.