William J. Reid, 94, headmaster at Boston busing crisis hot spot

On the day after busing started at South Boston High School, William J. Reid watched as students who were suddenly classmates because of court-ordered desegregation gathered in the auditorium.

"The black and white kids all went into the assembly hall. They're all talking and having a good conversation among themselves," said former mayor Raymond L. Flynn, who was then the neighborhood's state representative and visiting the school. "Bill Reid stands at the stage and stares out at them. It seemed to go on for an eternity. He didn't say a word; he just waited and waited."

Flynn said that "after three or four minutes, the kids went from talking to curious -- 'What's this guy doing?' And then it got quiet and you could hear a feather drop in the South Boston High School auditorium. He said: 'Good morning. I'm Bill Reid, the headmaster. We won't have that kind of situation again. When you come to school, it's a place for learning.' He had that quiet presence that commanded respect. I never heard the man raise his voice."

Dr. Reid, whose tenure as headmaster ended abruptly when Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr. moved him out of the position in 1975 amid escalating tension in the busing crisis, died Friday of complications from cancer. He was 94 and lived in Schaumburg, Ill., after moving recently to be closer to his daughter Constance Lokos.

"He was really a giant. He was a person we all respected -- at least I respected him," said Paul Parks, who was state secretary of education during the desegregation years. "At a time when that school was about to be in total upheaval, he stood there. He tried to make South Boston High School a place where the kids could learn."

"He was a real hero in South Boston," Flynn said. "He was so wonderful to the community."

Dr. Reid and his family moved to the neighborhood in 1949. He became headmaster at South Boston High School in 1965. In December 1975, Garrity removed him and placed the school in federal receivership, ruling that the desegregation progress at the school was inadequate. After that, Dr. Reid worked in the Boston public schools headquarters until retiring in 1981.

In May 1974, at one of the dozens of meetings he attended during the desegregation crisis, a parent confronted Dr. Reid and demanded to know whether he was for or against busing.

"That's immaterial. I just work here," he said. "My job is to see your youngsters get the best opportunity for an education."

"I remember him as a man of honesty and integrity who gave his all for the school district," said Michael G. Contompasis, Boston's school superintendent. "He should not in any way, shape, or form be remembered for his removal from the school. . . . Some would argue in hindsight and Monday morning quarterbacking that, you know, it might not have been the right thing to do. He was loyal to the community, he was loyal to the school system, he was loyal to his family. He practiced what he preached."

"It was a tough time for him, but he was sincere in what he was trying to do," said his daughter Patricia, of South Boston. "Once he was out of it, it was over as far as he was concerned and that was it. My father was never one to dwell in the past."

Born in West Roxbury, he was the eldest of four boys and graduated from Boston Latin. He graduated from Dartmouth College and received a master's in education from Boston Teachers College. He received a master's in secondary school education from Harvard University in 1950.

He served in the Navy during World War II and in the Navy reserves, receiving a Bronze Star and retiring as a commander. In 1942 he met Deborah Armstrong while he was stationed in Wooster, Ohio, to set up a Navy flight preparatory school at the College of Wooster, Patricia Reid said. The couple married 60 years ago.

Dr. Reid, who received a doctorate in history from Boston University in 1958, lived with his family in the same house in South Boston overlooking Dorchester Bay for more than 50 years before moving with his wife a few years ago to a South Boston apartment with no stairs.

In his early years with the school system, Dr. Reid was a history teacher and kept his love of teaching even after he moved into the administrative ranks. His two favorite awards, his daughter said, were for teaching.

He also was active for years coaching, particularly youth hockey. "He enjoyed the practices more than the games because he got to go out on the ice and show them how it's done," Patricia Reid said. "Once a teacher, always a teacher."

Dr. Reid served for a time as a docent at the USS Constitution Museum and helped reinvigorate South Boston's historical society. About a decade ago, he wrote his own history book, "Castle Island and Fort Independence."

Last month, Contompasis dedicated the library at South Boston Education Complex in Dr. Reid's name. "He was an outstanding leader, a mentor to many younger folk coming up through the ranks," he said yesterday.

"It 's obvious that he was very intelligent, but he wasn't imposing. He didn't wear that on his sleeve," Flynn said. "You could easily say he's one of the most respected men in this town."

In addition to his wife and two daughters, Dr. Reid leaves a son, James of Chesapeake, Va., and two grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. on Friday in St. Brigid Church in South Boston. Burial will be in National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne.