Accomplished UA professor, department head dies

By Joseph Altman Jr.

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Bobby Reid, professor and head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, died Feb. 19 at the age of 65.

During his 35 years in the University of Arizona College of Agriculture, Reid conducted research on nutrition and environment interactions in poultry, gaining him international recognition. Reid also was researching human nutrition, concentrating on diet, obesity and age effects on energy metabolism.

As a Texas native, Reid earned his undergraduate degree in biology and his master's degree and doctorate in biochemistry and nutrition from Texas A&M University, where he spent four years as an assistant professor of poultry science.

Before coming to the UA, Reid served as laboratory director for a nutrition survey team in Turkey, directed a similar team to Haiti, and served as director of research for two years at the Pillsbury Company Feed Division in Clinton, Iowa.

Reid then became a professor in the University of Arizona Department of Poultry Science in 1960, and served as the head of that department from 1962-1975. Reid also held appointments in the School of Home Economics, the Department of Animal Sciences and the Department of Nutrition and Food Science as professor and acting head.

In 1991, he was appointed head of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, which was later renamed the Department of Nutritional Sciences.

Outside of academe, Reid served for 28 years as the secretary-treasurer of the Arizona Poultry Association. He also served 10 years as a reviewer and three years as associate editor for the journal Poultry Science, and was a member of the American Institute of Nutrition and the Society for Experimental Biology & Medicine.

Eugene Sander, dean of the College of Agriculture, said, "Bobby was a great department head. He was steady like a rock, yet innovative in addressing departmental needs."

Linda Houtkooper, an associate specialist in nutritional sciences, worked closely with Reid.

"His vision for a department included valuing the teaching, the research and the cooperative extension education programs," Houtkooper said. "He championed all three, and thus promoted the whole concept of a land-grant university."

Reid is survived by his wife, Phyllis, a senior research specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences; two daughters, Nancy and Lynn; his son, Dale; his stepdaughter, Stephanie; and two grandchildren, Matthew and Allison.

A scholarship fund has been set up by the family in Reid's honor. Donations can be forwarded through Sander's office.

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