Reed, Bess, 1892-1984.

Republican state legislator and a member of the Missoula School District 1 Board of Trustees for 21 years was born in Montgomery, Minnesota, on October 15, 1892. She attended Valley City Teachers College in Valley City, North Dakota, in Domestic Science. On graduation Bess taught school for six years; four years in North Dakota and was principal at Stanford Montana and then on to teach high school chemistry in St. Maries Idaho. When it became evident that her teaching salary was not enough to support herself she decided to give up teaching and went to work for the Milwaukee Road. She worked for the railroad in St. Maries and Spokane, Washington for the next six years. On November 9, 1925 she married Dr. Dallas J. Reed and moved to Missoula shortly thereafter. The couple had one son, Dallas J. Reed, Jr.

From the time Bess arrived in Missoula in 1925, she was committed to public affairs. She led local and state chapters of the PTA (Parent Teachers Association). Bess was the secretary of the Montana Society for Crippled Children for eight years, and Missoula County's Girls State Chairwomen for 19 years. For 17 years she was the executive secretary of the Community Chest (the United Way predecessor) and served on the Board of Directors of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce. As a member of the Missoula Business and Professional Women's Club she was voted Women of the Year in 1952 and was their State President in 1964 and in 1976 was their Women in History in their Statewide Bi-Centennial book. On March 27, 1971, the Missoula Chamber of Commerce declared Bess Reed Day. Altogether Bess worked for the city of Missoula for 52 years.

...