"A Personal Tribute to Bob Reid" My brother-in-law, Robert Slocumb "Bob" Reid suffered but tolerated a number of serious health failures the last year of his life, but his greatest pleasure the last six months of his life was experienced when he held his infant great grandchild, Brooklyn Christiana Sykes, in his lap. It was an old habit that he sought when his children Jean and Robert arrived in his family as infants. The exchange of warmth and the exchange of loving quiet sounds between infant and adult provided the reward of joy. Bob's admiration for his father and mother and his love for his family in South Alabama were not secrets. My sister Julia married Bob on June 10, 1967, in York, South Carolina. Until severed by death, this partnership was enjoyed for over four decades. Bob and my mother became great friends. They both loved to watch trees, shrubs, and flowers grow. The challenge of cultivation and the special beauty of roses they sought and shared. In addition, the young man from the Gulf South shared with my mother a compelling desire to see and smell the mountains of North Carolina. Bob also became good friends with Tom Leath, our brother-in-law in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tom shared with Bob an interest in things scientific and technical from agriculture to machinery. After Tom acquired mountain property near Burnsville between North Carolina and Tennessee, my in-laws enjoyed many mountain hikes together. Bob's university experience and his subsequent profession placed him clearly in science and industry. His lab work for Monsanto near Pensacola focused on environmental water and air quality. Sophisticated machinery beyond the test tube was required and demanded interpretation. After Bob retired, he was hired as a sales representative for the complicated machinery developed and sold by a Dutch firm. At the invitation of this firm, Bob and Julia enjoyed a trip to the Netherlands to the manufacturing center. The Dutch cultivation of flowers was special activity of appeal to Bob. Bob made many friends, and I never hear of any that he lost. He visited the west coast and Atlanta to maintain those relationships and to satisfy a special interest in urban development. He was quite practical; he sought out modest accommodations and "good deals." He knew exactly the difference between a cab ride and the metro. He also went to Las Vegas and Reno numerous times. He was no gambler, but he enjoyed the close-up view of those recreation islands. The dynamics of those cities beckoned him by their cut-rate food and accommodation specials. Back home in Pensacola, Wal-Mart designed its policy for a guy like Bob in retirement. "We will meet any advertised price." You could rely on Bob to plan his menus based on the ads of the local supermarkets. His satisfaction was exceeded only by Wal-Mart's success. Bob's home until his final hour was the retirement home that he and Julia designed in Pensacola. His yard was planned to prevent erosion and to accommodate the shrubs, flowers and roses. For most of the year, flowers bloomed outside and Bob's habit was to display a bloom or two inside whenever possible. The Smiths of this world will miss this gentle spirit. I am grateful to have shared his vision of the mountains to the sea and his love of family and flowers. My heart goes out to his children, separated from their Paw-Paw. May the grace and mercy of God bless each and all. Selden K. Smith January 13, 2014