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July 18, 2024
Editor, The News-Gazette: His was a life well lived. Reed Belden, who recently passed at age 92, was special in so many ways and we of this area are so blessed to have had him as a special contributor to our community.
When you join the board of a nonprofit organization, they expect you to contribute at least one of the “W’s” :Wealth, Wisdom or Work. When Reed joined a board, he did it with gusto, contributing all three in quantity and quality.
His gifts to various non-profit organizations were substantial, and he was a very effective fundraiser. Reed loved people as evidenced by his work with Yellow Brick Road, RATS (Rockbridge Area Transportation System), Lisa’s House, Rockbridge Area Hospice, SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), Junior Achievement, Success by Six, Rockbridge Mental Health Board, Rockbridge Regional Library, Lexington Presbyterian Church and the Rockbridge Occupational Center. With tireless energy, motivation, and love for working with each of these organizations, he used his experience as a vice president of Allied Chemical, now Honeywell, in improving these nonprofits. He left each better than he found them.
Reed also contributed to our knowledge of local history. He wrote and presented several papers on area communities such as Denmark, Jordans Point, and the South River communities. He most recently received an award from the Historic Lexington Foundation for his work on the Timber Ridge area.
Over time, he served as secretary of the Rockbridge Historical Society, president of the Historic Lexington Foundation and board member of the Millers House Museum. Not to be left out, Reed was a one time president of the Kiwanis Club and secretary of the Sunrise Rotary Club.
Reed loved our community and gave it his all. His was a life well lived. DICK HALSETH Lexington
