Reed owned the Hermiston Herald from 1970 to 1991 before selling it to Western Communications. He began his career in the newspaper business in Camas, Wash., and in 1965 became the publisher of the Itemizer Observer in Dallas, Ore.
By 1980, the Herald and his former newspaper, the Itemizer Observer in Dallas had won first place in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers General Excellence category no less than four times. During his long newspaper career Reed was invited to the White House and met with four past presidents: Carter, Reagan, Nixon and Ford. He was a featured speaker throughout the United States on newspaper advertising. The Hermiston Herald went on to win numerous national newspaper awards during his publishing career.
In 1978, Reed and two other weekly publishers took five corporations and rolled them into one corporation that became Eagle Newspapers. Eagle went on to acquire other newspapers throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho. By 1984 Eagle Newspapers owned and operated a total of 18 once- and twice-a-week newspapers.
Reed’s full obituary can be found online.
