Class of 1960

Year Inducted 2016

John Reed attended Bywood and Aronimink Elementary Schools and Upper Darby Junior High School.  At UDHS, he was a class color captain, student council member, and letter winner in football and track.

John received his B.S. in Secondary Education from West Chester State University and his Doctorate in Educational Administration from Temple University.  He was a teacher of social studies in Norristown and later served as Assistant Principal of Radnor Junior High School, Principal of Bala-Cynwyd in Lower Merion, Superintendent of the Margate City School District in New Jersey, and Superintendent of the Newtown School District in Connecticut, where he remained for over 20 years.  After his retirement, he frequently served as an interim superintendent in several Connecticut towns.  Following the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, John returned to the Newtown Public Schools to lead its recovery efforts for one year.  John views this opportunity to be of service as the most important work of his professional life.  Words cannot express the love and admiration he has for the students and staff of Newtown.

Among the awards and honors John has been so fortunate to receive are  a school named for him in Newtown, Connecticut, the Educational Leader of the Year Award, the Achievement Award for Leadership in Founding and Development of the Regional Internship Program, the Connecticut Leadership Center’s Award for Exemplary Leadership in Collaborative Efforts, a selection by the Goethe Institute to study public education in Germany, the Distinguished Service to Children Award from the National PTA, and a Emeritus Membership in the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. 

As a volunteer, John has served in many leadership positions, including Co-chair of the CAPSS Technology Committee, Chairman of the Connecticut University System for Excellence Advisory Council, and leader of the Connecticut Department of Education’s sub committee on thinking skills.  Within Newtown, John served as a member of the Fairfield Hills Authority for eight years, where he served as its chair for two years.

More recently, John helped facilitate a year-long training program for Leadership for Connecticut school districts and was the graduation speaker at Quinebaug Middle College in Connecticut, where an award named for John was presented to a student and staff member who led the school community with kindness and exemplified the “Constancy of Purpose” for continual improvement while putting others ahead of self.   John continues to volunteer at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.