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| Stanley Foster Reed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 28, 1917 Bogota, New Jersey |
| Died | October 25, 2007 |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Inventor, Publisher |
Stanley Foster Reed was an entrepreneur, inventor, and publisher who founded Reed Research Inc. in 1940, “Mergers & Acquisitions” journal in 1965, and “Campaigns & Elections” magazine in 1980.
Born in Hartsdale and White Plains, New York. Buoyed by an entrepreneurial spirit, he forwent a formal post-high school education until his 60s to start a roofing company, working briefly at a sheet metal factory for Pittsburgh Steel as well. In 1940, at age 23, armed with engineering principles learned on the job, he started up a scientific research company, renting a two-story building next to a junk yard along the C & O canal in Georgetown .
Reed, who was known as a mergers pioneer and expert in the 60s and 70s, also started the publications “Directors & Boards” and “Export Today.” He was the author of several books, including the best-selling tome, “The Art of M & A,” which he co-authored with his daughter, Alexandra Lajoux, and “The Toxic Executive,” an unsparing view of bad bosses.
In 1962, he started a mergers newsletter and a website in his later years .
The third son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Heming, he finally took time to attend college, earning an MBA from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 64 .
A born musician, Reed sang tenor and played the piano, organ, guitar, banjo, ukulele and accordion by ear at family gatherings. He loved musical comedies, and once said that he would have traded every accomplishment of his life to have written his favorite musical “Carousel” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. He also was an enthusiastic host and gourmet cook with hundreds of recipes, ranging from handmade corn tortillas to chocolate soufflés. With his son-in-law Bernard Lajoux, he bought a French restaurant in Philadelphia, Pa., which they renamed La Peche d’Argent and later sold to Le Bec Fin. He had moved to that city after selling two of his publications to Hay Associates, where he worked as a consultant in the early 1980s.
In his heyday, Reed made his way onto the “A” list for local social events, and was listed in two Washington, D.C. social registers – the Green Book and the Blue Book. He never owned a boat, but helped to build one and was an avid sailor and proud member of the New York Yacht Club. He was an active member of the Tastevin society for wine tasting, and co-founded the International Club of Washington as a social club where people of all races and religions would be welcome.
Known for his storytelling and his earthy sense of humor, he could assume a variety of accents, ranging from Cockney to Russian, and was conversant in several foreign languages, including French, Spanish and German.
Reed lived in McLean, Virginia, for 40 years. In 1994, he moved to Charleston, S.C. to take a position as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the College of Charleston, where he taught advanced management courses. Although not a religious man himself, he was a regular organist for the Church of the Nazarenes while residing in Charleston. He also lived in Annapolis, Md., and before entering the University of Virginia Medical Center, lived in Culpeper, Va. on October 25, 2007, in Charlottesville, Va., he died at the University of Virginia Medical Center of a subdural hematoma. He was 90.
Sources
- Bernstein, Adam. "Stanley Reed, 90; Helped Create Niche Magazines", The Washington Post, October 30, 2007. Accessed October 31, 2007.
References
- Cottle, Michelle. "WORKING; A Reign Of Terror", The New York Times, July 18, 1999. Accessed October 31, 2007.
- Wolfe, J. (2007). "Press Release Written for Obits.", Academic Press.