Plez Talmadge "P.T." Reilly was born June 9, 1911 in Dallas, Texas. Soon after his birth, Reilly's family moved to Los Angeles. Except for one year in Idaho, Reilly received his education in Los Angeles. Reilly attended California Christian College in 1935. While a college student Reilly earned letters in football, basketball, and track. On December 31, 1937, Reilly married his high school friend Mary Elizabeth (Susie) MacLean. Susie was an alumnus of the University of California, Los Angeles class of 1935.
Lucky to find work during the Depression, Reilly surveyed for the US General Land Office from 1936-1940. He joined the tooling division of Lockheed Aircraft Corp in 1940 and quickly became part of the management team. He took early retirement in 1969 after 29 years.
Reilly became interested in the Colorado River area after reading an article in Desert Magazine. In 1947, he began collecting items relating to the Colorado River and Lee's Ferry. He was a professional boatman for Norman Nevills and his successors through 1952, then began designing and building his own dories. Reilly led noncommercial boat trips through the Grand Canyon from 1953 to 1964. During these trips Reilly kept extensive logs and took thousands of photographs.
Reilly was an ardent conservationist and had fought for years to preserve the Grand Canyon. On April 16, 1956, he discovered and named Keyhole Bridge, the last major physical feature documented in the Grand Canyon. He has also located several historical sites in Marble and Grand Canyons and has named many geographical features along the Colorado River.
Reilly was recognized for his research and knowledge relating to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. He published extensively and gathered material relating to the prehistory, history and natural history of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau.
The Reillys lived in southern California until 1972, when they moved to Sun City, Arizona. Mr. Reilly died October 24, 1996. Susie Reilly passed away on April 19, 2001.
From the guide to the Plez Talmadge Reilly Collection, 1810-1966 (bulk 1930-1960)., (Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives Department.)
