David M. Reed ’54

Dave died Feb. 8, 2021, in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was 89.

He was raised in Pittsburgh and came to Princeton from Shady Side Academy. At Princeton he was a member of the varsity soccer and wrestling teams, joined Cap & Gown, and was in the cast of the Triangle Club in the years when the troupe made annual appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. He majored in English, and his thesis, “Mark Twain and God,” prefigured an interest in the ministry.

In 1958 Dave earned a master’s of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and became a Presbyterian minister, working with several congregations in Philadelphia. Driven by a desire to provide a more personal level of counseling, he earned a doctorate in psychology from Tulane University in 1965. He subsequently joined the Marriage Council of Philadelphia.

He had a distinguished 50-year career as a psychologist in the Philadelphia area, continuing to see patients into his early 80s. In addition, he was a radio talk-show host on WCAU 1210 radio for several years beginning in the late 1970s, providing advice to callers anxious for access to a caring voice.

Dave was married for 37 years to Carolyn Chapple before her death in 1993, and 23 years to Kathy Keogh before she too passed away in 2018. He is survived by his children, David Jr. ’79, Douglas, and Jennifer; stepchildren Sara and James; six grandchildren; and one step-grandchild.