Libby Roberts, presidential secretary at Reed from 1961 to 1977, died this spring at age 92. She served as assistant to Reed presidents Richard Sullivan, Victor Rosenblum, and Paul Bragdon, and acting presidents Byron Youtz and Ross Thompson, until she retired at age 68.

“Libby was a presence at Reed during her considerable time there,” said Paul Bragdon. “She had the utmost discretion and was extremely loyal. Although she was businesslike and not given to frivolity, she had a sense of humor and good relations with faculty. One of my own memories of Libby relates to my own last day at Reed, in June of 1988, some 11 years after her retirement: I walked into the office and found Libby at her command post just as she had been in August 1971 when I arrived—and she had not changed significantly in the interim.”

“She was an extraordinary person,” said Ottomar Rudolf, professor emeritus of German and humanities. “Her presence was felt by everyone who entered the president’s office—gracious, efficient, but also protective of the president’s time. We admired her and respected her and remember her with deep affection.”
Roberts was born in 1908 in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Before working at Reed she was a public relations representative for the Oregon National Guard at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, Oregon. Her husband, Luke, died in 1988. Survivors include her brother, Guy Tucker, and a niece and nephew.