Lawrence MacKenzie 'Mac' Reed, Hays
Lawrence MacKenzie "Mac" Reed, 80, Hays, died Friday, June 2, 2023 at his home.
A lifelong Ellis Countian, he was born June 6, 1942, at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Hays, to Arthur Lawrence and Anne Elizabeth (Nicholson) Reed.
He graduated from Ellis High School in 1960 and Fort Hays Kansas State College in 1964, earning a bachelor of arts in business. He went on to earn a master of arts degree in librarianship at the University of Denver in 1965. During his undergraduate years, he was a member of the FHSU Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, the Impromptus musical group, and served as editor for the Reveille yearbook. In later years, he was also a member of Phi Kappa Phi educational honorary.
His professional university career included 41 years of service at Fort Hays State University’s Forsyth Library, where he worked for ten years as a reference librarian and the remaining 31 years as a government documents librarian. He retired in 2007, and the Government Documents Department was named after him. During his career, he was a member and chairman of the Government Documents Roundtable of Kansas, an active member of the Kansas Library Association, and contributed as a member of the FHSU Alumni Association and FHSU Half Century Club. Active in this community, he was a member of the Hays Arts Council, Ellis County Historical Society, and Alcoholics Anonymous.
Upon retirement, he volunteered to create the natural history library collection at the Sternberg Museum. He then worked part-time as a 10-year employee of the city of Hays, functioning as a Welcome Center representative for the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In his spare time, he enjoyed attending Broadway musicals, completing yard work, reading good books, and completing crossword puzzles. He was also a world traveler, visiting 49 states and 45 countries. As an organ and piano enthusiast, he furnished music for FHSU events for over 50 years, supplied music for the Hadley Regional Medical Center chapel for more than 25 years, and provided music for numerous local funerals and weddings.
Survivors include two nephews, Roy Reed Hinkel and wife Teresa of Round Rock, TX and Lawrence Cooper Hinkel and wife Angela of Milton, GA, a niece, Anne E. Shannon and husband Jay of Corinth, TX, and many cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Ann Elizabeth Hinkel.
A celebration of life will be at 10:00 am on Friday, July 7, 2023 at the former First Congregational Church at 8th and Washington in Ellis. Inurnment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Services are in the care of Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Memorials are suggested to Ellis Nutrition Center.
Condolences and memories of Mac may be shared with his family at www.haysmemorial.com
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