University Times

Rose Marie Reynolds, who retired in 1997 after 47 years as a staff member at Pitt, died Sept. 24, 2012. She was 80.

Reynolds came to the University in 1950 as a secretary in what then was called Late Afternoon, Evening, Saturday Classes and Summer Sessions, a precursor to the College of General Studies.  In her early years at Pitt she also served as secretary to the director of special service for the chancellor, assisting with planning for the inauguration of Chancellor Edward Litchfield in 1957.

Over the course of her lengthy Pitt career, Reynolds served as administrative assistant for admissions and administrative secretary to the dean of general studies. After leaving general studies in 1976 to become the administrative specialist to the special assistant to the provost for program development, in 1977 she moved to the German department, where she spent the final two decades of her Pitt career.

Well-known across the University as a competent administrator, Reynolds was relied upon by many as a source of institutional knowledge. For any question or problem, Reynolds knew where to go for a solution, said retired English department administrator Annette Galluze, who was Reynolds’s longtime friend.

Galluze recalled Reynolds as friendly with everyone, regardless of their position. She worked with a quiet efficiency, accomplishing tasks without cross words or raised voice, Galluze said.

W. Richard Howe, associate dean for administration and planning in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, said, “Rose will be remembered as a marvelous colleague, a friend to all and a role model for those who knew her. In her own quiet, yet determined way, Rosie served her faculty and students with the grace and diplomacy of a seasoned administrator. She was admired by all for her knowledge of the intricacies of the University’s policies and procedures, and she used that knowledge to assist those within her department. Rosie was called on frequently by a host of other school-wide administrators who turned to her for guidance and assistance.”

Monika Losagio, an administrator in French and Italian who counted Reynolds as a mentor, said she was instrumental in starting an informal monthly breakfast for humanities administrators, at which staff share information and administrative best practices; the group recently marked its 20th year. “This meeting has been a tremendous resource for all of us,” Losagio said.

Outside of working hours, Reynolds enjoyed dining out, shopping and traveling among many activities, Galluze said. She had an apartment in North Oakland but rarely stayed home. Instead she was always on the move: going to movies, the mall or lunch with friends, said Galluze.

Reynolds also enjoyed reading and took pleasure in planning vacations and taking occasional bus trips to Atlantic City, although she was not a regular gambler, said Charles Fedel, son of the late Pitt administrator Arthur Fedel, with whom Reynolds worked closely for many years.

“She was his secretary when I was born,” said Fedel, 49, who grew up considering Reynolds part of the family. “She was a second mother to me.” As children, he and his sister would wait after school for their father in his Cathedral of Learning office, “bothering Rose in the afternoons, and yet she still got everything done.”

He said Reynolds never married and had no siblings. Her Pitt colleagues became her family and the University her second home, Fedel said.

As his father’s right-hand assistant, Reynolds amassed a range of professional experience and associates. “It was impossible for Rose not to grow and to know everyone in the University,” Fedel said.

Still, she preferred to remain out of the spotlight, working with quiet efficiency.

German department faculty member Clark Muenzer said as the sole administrator in German, “Rosie worked on a daily basis with every member of the department: undergraduates, work-study students, graduate students and faculty,” and served as its link to administrative offices. “She was the heart of the department,” he said.

Muenzer said the small department functioned like an extended family.  “Rosie knew everyone and knew everyone personally,” he said, adding that she was a welcome part of his own family. “She saw both my kids born, celebrated birthdays with us,” he said, adding that his children continued to visit with their “Aunt Rosie” long after her retirement.

During his years as German department chair, “She kept me on track and helped me on a daily basis,” Muenzer said. “The only way to survive over time as chair in a small department is with a committed and competent administrator,” he said. “It was a real partnership. There was a lot of respect and trust. I always could absolutely trust that she would not only get her work done, but my work done. That’s important for a chair,” he said.

—Kimberly K. Barlow